Flyweights Matthew Nicolau and Alex Perez capped off the night at UFC Vegas 91 on Saturday, an Apex card that had the less-than-enviable task of following in the footsteps of UFC 300.
A milestone event it was not, with UFC Vegas 91 having just a handful of notable names and worthy highlights. The main event would propel someone further up the flyweight ladder, however- though even that fight wasn’t exactly what had been promised, with Nicolau originally scheduled for a rematch with contender Manel Kape.
Luckily, the headliner turned out to be explosive, with the powder keg going off in the second round.
It was the former title challenger, Perez, who held center early as the action got underway. Things started slow, until roughly two minutes in, Perez stormed forward, ripped lefts and rights to the body then went upstairs as Nicolau retreated, guard high. The shots to the body were nasty, and Perez appeared to have that as part of his game plan.
Nicolau would clip Perez with a counter later in the round, with just over a minute on the clock. But without much follow-up, it was instead Perez eating the shot and charging forward again moments later.
A competitive first round gave way to more quick-paced action in round two, where Nicolau mixed kicks into his attacks. Perez continued to charge forward, sitting down on punches at times, and about two minutes in clipped Nicolau, sending him backpedaling. Moments later, having moved in on the attack, Perez absolutely crumpled Matheus Nicolau! As Nicolau slumped down, Perez knew he had the finish and simply held off until the ref arrived- a stunning KO for the former flyweight title challenger.
The win snaps a three fight skid for Perez, and marks his first victory since a June 2020 TKO of Jussier Formiga. Nicolau has now suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.
Official Result: Alex Perez def. Matheus Nicolau by KO, Round 2, 2:16
