Alex Perez Looking to Put on a Show Against Mark de la Rosa at UFC on ESPN 2

The state of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division is a murky one. No one truly knows if the division is sticking around. With that, Alex Perez is moving up to bantamweight at UFC on ESPN 2. 


For Perez, there was a simple reason why he moved up to bantamweight. “They just offered the opportunity, so I decided to take [them up on it],” Perez said to Sherdog.com. “I never turn down fights, so why not?”


Now at bantamweight, Perez will not have to cut as much weight and instead focus more on the actual fight itself. Despite this bout taking place on short notice, he isn’t worried. “I train consistently,” said Perez. “We have had a couple of guys that have [fought] recently like Louis Smolka, [Marlon] “Chito” Vera, and some other younger guys. I have to be in shape to help those guys, so it is about game planning now.”


Helping soften the blow is that he’s taking on Mark De La Rosa, another former flyweight moving up a division. However, that wasn’t a factor in accepting the bout. “I am a big flyweight so moving up to 135 won’t be hard for me,” Perez explained. “I don’t think I will be small for the weight class. To me it didn’t matter who it was, I just wanted to get back in there.”


Perez is aware his bantamweight debut will not be easy. He knows just how talented de la Rosa is and expects a great fight. “Honestly, this guy is well-rounded,” he explained. “It is going to be a good fight, it is going to be whoever is better that night and makes the least amount of mistakes. He is going to come forward, I am going to come forward. He has a good ground game, I have a good ground game. I feel like it is pretty even around the board.”


Ultimately, Perez has just one goal for this fight. “Just to put on a show. Mark is a tough guy, he comes forward and fights,” Perez said. “What other way can you do something then put on a show.”


For now, Perez is working on final preparations and getting his weight down. The hard work is done, and he is excited to get back into the Octagon for his first fight in the ESPN era. “I think it is cool,” said Perez. “Fighting around the local scene and now in the UFC and seeing all these other sports on ESPN, it is cool to finally see them bringing [mixed martial arts] into the sports world. Like they are finally considering us a sport, not just crazy animals.”