Lightweight, Cristian Pérez (13-1) vs. Manoel Sousa (12-1)
Notable Notes
- Perez hasn’t fought in almost two years
- Perez is coming off a loss in Karate Combat
- Both guys have a combined twenty finishes
- Sousa has fought for LFA, Bellator, and PFL
- Sousa is the only fighter with a win over UFC fighter Mauricio Ruffy
- Sousa has five finishes in round two
Cristian Perez
-Dynamic
-Fast starter
-Submission threat
-Good straight attacks
-Scrambles well
-Bodylock takedowns
-Good bodywork
-Kick-heavy
-Chin exposed in exchanges
-Poor TDD
-Physicality lacks
-Overzealous in grappling positions
-Loses minutes off his back
-Hands low
-Cardio drains
-Lacks position control
Perez has a lot of upside and could become one of the standout Mexican fighters the UFC is eager to promote. He’s young, scrappy, and exciting to watch. He’s shown versatility across his fights; some have been grappling-heavy, others striking-focused, and several where he’s blended both well.
The biggest knock on him is inconsistency, especially in matchups he should be winning comfortably. That seems to stem more from a lack of refined technique and high-level experience than from any physical shortcomings.
On the feet, Perez is dangerous but chaotic. He has plenty of weapons: a solid jab, powerful straight punches, teeps, and leg kicks. He targets the body effectively with kicks and digs in hooks during short combinations. He throws in bursts and can switch stances mid-combination. But his biggest flaws come in the details, and include poor head movement, hand positioning, and the tendency to lead with his chin while throwing from his hips. These habits leave him exposed during exchanges.
His ground game is similarly effective but undisciplined. He’ll get to dominant positions but too often loses them by rushing or giving opponents easy outs. For example, he’s secured back takes with the body triangle only to let opponents turn into him and reverse. “Puas” is a big submission threat, but he misses more opportunities than he capitalizes on.
Wrestling-wise, he mainly works from the body lock with inside and outside trips. That may not be enough at the UFC level, especially against more seasoned opponents.
Perez is close to UFC-ready. With more experience and maturity, he could absolutely belong. But right now, he’s too focused on chasing highlight moments, which often puts him in bad positions—mistakes that will be costly against higher-level competition.
Manoel Sousa
-Heavy hands
-Dangerous in the phonebooth
-Explosive
-Forward pressure
-Good vision in the pocket
-Heavy ground and pound
-Good bodywork
-Well-conditioned
-Dangerous in bursts/exchanges
-Get up ability
-Credible wrestling
-Physically strong/Powerful
-Submission threat
-TDD needs work
-Loads up
-Blitzes in on straight lines
Sousa is a fantastic addition to this season’s Contender Series. He’s a legit prospect, arguably one who could’ve been signed outright. His lone loss came via decision to PFL standout Archie Colgan, a high-level opponent, so there’s no shame there. On the flip side, Sousa has built a strong résumé with quality wins: veteran Tim Wilde, Brendo Bispo (who I was high on for a while), TUF 33 alum Richard Martins, and most notably Mauricio Ruffy, who’s currently making waves in the UFC. Sousa remains the only man to beat Ruffy.
What separates Sousa is his fight-ending power. He’s a wrecking ball, crashing the pocket with heavy hooks and looking to take your head off. That said, his forward pressure can get sloppy. He tends to load up on every shot, which makes him predictable and gets him clipped coming in. His overcommitted swings also throw him off balance, making him vulnerable to open-space takedowns or well-timed doubles.
However, he’s much harder to take down along the fence. He’s got strong hips and digs for underhooks effectively. Striking-wise, Sousa is dangerous at all ranges, but especially in the pocket where his vision sharpens and he rips tight body-head combos. He throws every shot with fight-ending intent.
In the clinch, he’s nasty, mixing dirty boxing (short uppercuts, knees) with takedowns. Wrestling is more of a change-up than a constant weapon for him, but he does have the strength to finish high crotch lifts. Still, he needs more variety in his takedown entries and finishes.
Sousa is primarily known for his knockouts, but his ground game is solid. While he’s been taken down, he’s very good at scrambling, exploding from the hip, using frames, and consistently working back to his feet. He also relies on kimura grips, both defensively (to sweep or create space) and offensively (to advance position or threaten submissions).
Surprisingly, he’s more measured on the mat. His positional control and guard passing are thoughtful, but when it’s time to strike, he brings fight-ending ground and pound.
Stylistically, he gives off a Joanderson Brito vibe, but a more dangerous, better-rounded version. He’s wild, but the cardio and durability are there to sustain the chaos. If you have a stiff jab and good lateral footwork, you might be able to frustrate him, but good luck keeping him off you.
Prediction: This is a banger of a matchup between two dangerous finishers, but I strongly favor Sousa. Both guys bring wild volume and aggression, but Sousa is more defensively sound and carries significantly more power in his shots. In the grappling exchanges, Sousa’s physicality will be a key factor. Perez may be the slicker grappler in terms of technique, but I see Sousa controlling the positions, landing damage, and neutralizing any threats on the mat. I still believe Perez has a future in the UFC, but in this fight, the power, pressure, and control of Sousa will be too much. Sousa by TKO in round three.
