Number 7th ranked Flyweight Alex Perez will face number 8th ranked Muhammad Mokaev at the UFC Apex on March 2nd.
The two men have had extremely contrasting times in the sport of late, with Perez struggling to stay active whilst Mokaev has surged through the division.
The last four years have proved to be an extremely frustration time for Perez, having only managed to compete four times over the period- but this was not through lack of trying.
The American has had 11 fights fall through due to injuries, medical withdrawals and weight misses, having not make the walk since his first round submission defeat to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277.
After earning his UFC contract on 2017’s Dana White Contender Series, Perez got off to a flying start with back to back wins against Carls John de Tomas, Eric Shelton and Jose Torres but that wasn’t without its hiccups.
Against Shelton, Perez lost his battles with the scales for the first time, coming in over the Flyweight limit but the two still proceeded with their bout.
He then lost to Joseph Benavidez before finding himself on another three-fight winning streak. The win streak led to a showdown against Deiveson Figueiredo, but it was not to be for Perez as he was beaten with a first round submission.
This was the start of a troublesome time in his career. The closest he came to competing before the Pantoja defeat in July 2022, was when he was slated to face Matt Schell in the February of the same year. Once again, Perez missed weight but this time, an agreement between the pair could not be made, forcing the fight off the card.
His only notable combat sport appearance of 2023 was at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, where he grappled against Roman Bravo-Young. Perez’s welcome back to the sport comes in the form of a hungry young competitor looking to take his place in the rankings.
Mokaev has certainly lived up to the hype surrounding him before he signed with the UFC. After becoming one of the best known amateurs in the world, due to time competing with IMMAF and his impeccable 23-0 record, Mokaev joined the professional ranks with numerous promotions rallying round to get his signature.
Mokaev competed four times in his first year as a professional opting to split his time between BRAVE and Celtic Gladiator before signing an exclusive multi-fight deal BRAVE. After just three fights on his deal, the UFC came calling.
In his promotional debut, Mokaev made light work of Cody Durdon, tying up a guillotine less than a minute into the contest. He was back in the octagon four months later in an unanimous decision win over the vastly more experienced Charles Johnson.
Keen to build on a successful debuting year with the company, Mokaev continued his rise through the division at UFC 286 with a third-round rear naked choke win against Jafel Filho. ‘The Punisher’ finished the year off with another third round submission victory, this time over Tim Elliott.
At just 23-years-old, Mokaev is making waves at 125lbs as he continues his quest to become one of the youngest champions in UFC history.
