Alex Perez reminded the flyweight division on Saturday night that he is still a threat by making a statement with a win over Charles Johnson at UFC 324.
Perez (26-10) snapped a two-fight skid with his victory over Johnson, a familiar foe. The two go back years, training together and even living in the same fighter house set up by their coaches.
“I lived with Charles, I know Charles, he knows my son. I know his daughter. When we first signed this fight, we Facetimed each other and took a screenshot together. I don’t like to hurt a friend, but at the same time this is business,” Perez told reporters, including Cageside Press, during his post-fight scrum.
“He would have done the same to me. We’ve talked now and it’s all respect. We have a job to do, my back was against the wall, he knows that. It kind of sucked having to hit him.”
Perez admitted the quick turnaround caught up with him, especially after returning from Doha and immediately finding himself in a different camp. He also spoke about his weight loss and acknowledged that these short turnaround times have become much more difficult to manage at this stage of his career.
Perez added that he believes Saturday’s fight may have been the final fight of his current UFC contract.
“I think the weight issue was just too much of a alignment. I fought in Doha, I’ll come back over the holidays and do this again. I tend to think I’m still young, which isn’t the case. I’ll be 34 in March, so I can’t make those quick turnarounds like I used to,” he said.
“Hopefully I’ve shown the UFC that I still belong. I need to sit down and talk to my management and talk to Mick Maynard. Hopefully they can forgive me for this, and hopefully I can get a few more fights.”
Watch the full post-fight scrum with Alex Perez above.
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