Medical Issue Forces Alex Perez Out of UFC on ESPN 43 Bout vs. Manel Kape

The UFC on ESPN 43 lineup has taken a last-minute hit, as a medical issue forced Alex Perez to withdraw from a proposed flyweight booking against Manel Kape.

The cancelation was announced during Saturday’s broadcast. Further details regarding Perez’s exit were not disclosed. It is not clear if the promotion will book Perez vs. Kape at a later date.

Perez has fought just once since suffering a first-round submission loss in a flyweight title bout against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255 in November 2020. In his last outing, Perez fell to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022. Between those two appearances, the Team Oyama representative has had nine different fights fall out for various reasons.

After dropping his first two Octagon appearances, Kape has won three straight in UFC competition. The AKA Thailand representative is coming off a unanimous verdict over David Dvorak at UFC Fight Night 216. It is the third canceled bout involving Kape since 2022.