Former title challenger Alex Perez returns to action at UFC Qatar on Saturday in a pivotal flyweight showdown against surging contender Asu Almabayev, a matchup that could reshape the division’s immediate future.
Perez (25-9) entered the matchup looking to rebound from his 2024 loss to Tatsuro Taira, making his long-awaited return to the Octagon in Qatar.
Almabayev (22-3) entered the fight coming off a decision win over Jose Ochoa in July. A victory over Perez would mark two straight and give him real momentum heading into 2026.
Round 1 – Perez took the center of the Octagon early, while Almabayev circled on the outside looking for reads. Perez surged forward with flurries, but Almabayev stayed composed, unfazed by the early pressure.
Perez continued walking him down, mixing punches with low kicks to disrupt Almabayev’s rhythm. But it didn’t take long for Almabayev to adjust, timing his entries and shooting for takedowns. He managed to bring Perez down a couple of times, though Perez popped back to his feet almost immediately each time.
As the round progressed, Almabayev began to find answers for Perez’s aggression, firing clean knees up the middle to intercept the blitzes. That forced Perez to slow his advances and rely more on outside leg kicks to set up his hands.
With a little over 30 seconds remaining, Almabayev shot in again, but Perez defended well, hammering elbows to the side of the head as they battled in close quarters.
Round 2 – Perez continued his aggressive flurry attacks, and opting to get in close to land on Almabayev in close. Perez was able to catch a leg kick, drop Almabayev and then drop to land some damage before the scramble to the feet.
Perez didn’t wait more than a second as he took Almabayev down again, landed shots, before his opponent got back to his feet.
Almabayev began landing well with the 1-2 combinations, but Perez continued to keep the pace high and not allow Almabayev to get comfortable. Perez shot in for another takedown and got it.
Almabayev picked up the urgency with the activity and then going for a single leg takedown with under a minute left in the round. Perez stuffed it well then got back to landing on him. He got taken down as the round ended.
Round 3 – Almabayev opened the round with urgency, charging forward and forcing Perez to shoot for a takedown. But the attempt backfired immediately, Almabayev snapped on a tight guillotine, cinching it in deep before Perez had anywhere to go. Within seconds, the choke was fully locked, and Perez had no choice but to tap.
A clutch submission win for Asu Almabayev, who avoided leaving the result in the hands of the judges.
Official Result: Asu Almabayev def. Alex Perez via R3 SUB (Guillotine), 0:22
