Former flyweight title challenger Alex Perez was back in action at UFC Shanghai on Saturday, taking on “The Tibetan Eagle” Sumudaerji.
The fight was an immediate rematch of their May encounter, which had ended prematurely when Perez was left unable to continue due to a low blow.
Perez was the more mobile fighter early, light on his feet and dancing in-and-out while Sumudaerji was relatively stationary in comparison. After some feeling out and back-and-forth, Perez drove into a takedown in the back half of the round, getting his opponent seated along the fence. Sumudaerji hit the body as Perez locked up his legs, the pair in a bit of an awkward position in close along the fence.
After closing out the round in that spot, Perez opened with a quick attack and a wild kick early in round two. 90 seconds in, he’d land another takedown, putting Sumudaerji in a similar position to what he’d been in at the end of round one. The Chinese fighter was quick to escape this time, only to be taken down again moments later. This time, Perez had space to work, doing so from inside Sumudaerji’s guard. Perez would finish the round on top, with Sumudaerji trying to land strikes off his back.
Between rounds, Perez’s corner suggested that Sumudaerji was tiring; either way, the fight was either tied, or Perez might have managed to secure both rounds. A minute into the third, Perez secured a body lock, looking to land a throw only for Sumudaerji to fend off the attempt. Perez still had control of him, however, and they battled for positional control along the fence before the Chinese fighter freed himself, three minutes still on the clock.
Another Perez takedown attempt followed as he shot in on a double leg, switched to the single, but struggled to finish. Sumudaerji defended with the whizzer and dropped a few elbows for good measure. Yet when they went down it was Sumudaerji in control, leading to a scramble as Perez extracted himself from a dicey situation. One minute left, and the flyweight pair faced off again before Perez went in on another takedown. Defended, and Sumudaerji fired a wild kick that missed by a country mile to close out the fight.
All three judges would score the fight for Sumudaerji in the end, with his offense in the third, not to mention his takedown defense in that final round, making all the difference.
Official Result: Sumudaerji def. Alex Perez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
