Taps in Round 3 Perez lost to Asu Almabayev via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:22 of Round 3 at UFC Qatar on Saturday. Impact Perez continues to fight the best of the best at flyweight, but he's now dropped four of five fights since losing a 2020 title shot to Deiveson Figueiredo, and his chances of competing in any further title-implicating fights have waned considerably with this loss. He was definitely competitive here despite dropping Round 1, as he built some momentum in the second frame by picking up three takedowns and winning the significant striking battle 21-to-13. However, with the fight tied at a round apiece heading into Round 3, Perez ate a massive head kick early that led to Almabayev jumping into a guillotine and Perez tapping out standing up. He'll likely need a rebound effort his next time out to save his roster spot.
NOVEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE