Alex Perez came up short Saturday night, but said he’s already moving on.
The UFC flyweight contender was submitted with a guillotine choke in his attempt to dethrone champion Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in the UFC 255 main event in Las Vegas. Perez (23-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC) pushed the action early, but the Figueiredo wasted no time to lock up a choke and finish the fight at the 1:57 mark of Round 1.
Perez, a Team Oyama product, said he is blessed to have had the opportunity to fight for the belt and is looking forward to 2021.
“Well, it is what it is,” Perez posted on Instagram. “It’s part of the business. Stuff happens. I’ll be back. 2020 has been a crazy year for me. 3 fights and finding out I’ll be a dad. I’m beyond blessed. Thank you for all the support I’ll be back!
“Thank you to all my teammates coach, family, friends and sponsors for all the support. Without you guys,I wouldn’t be here. #itiswhatitis”
Perez stepped up on short notice to headline UFC 255 and take on champ Figueiredo after injury forced out Cody Garbrandt, the original title challenger.
With the defeat, Perez is now 3-1 in his past four outings. The title bout was his third bout in 2020. He stopped Jussier Formiga in June and submitted Jordan Espinosa in January.
