Alex Perez is in Macau, China, this week for a UFC Fight Night main-card fight against Sumudaerji at Galaxy Arena, another overseas trip in a career that once never took him beyond his home state. The move gives the 34-year-old veteran a rare chance to compete on a global stage after years of fighting almost entirely in the United States.
That is the shift readers are looking for now: Perez, who built his UFC run after winning his spot on Dana White’s Contender Series, is no longer a fighter tied to Las Vegas and a handful of U.S. stops. Through his first 34 fights, he never left the country, and after joining the UFC his travel list still ran only to places such as Philadelphia and Orlando, with most of his appearances in Las Vegas. Last November, that changed when he fought in Doha, Qatar, and now Macau is next.
Perez said the change suits him, even if it comes with long flights and a different rhythm. He said he likes coaching better because he can enjoy the food and all that stuff, but added that he cannot complain because he gets to see the world, hang out and get paid to punch somebody in the face. For a fighter who once spent years without leaving home state circuits, that is a very different kind of work trip.
The Macau bout also comes at a moment when the result matters as much as the setting. Perez said he did not feel pressure going into his last fight, but that outing included a weight miss by two-and-a-half pounds, a 25 percent purse loss and no chance to collect a post-fight bonus. He later described that camp as the toughest of his career, while also saying he had a lot of personal battles going on and that actions have consequences, comments that made the win over Charles Johnson feel as much like a reset as a result.
He had already been coming off a loss to Asu Almabayev before facing Johnson at UFC 324 in Las Vegas, and that fight was on the last bout of his deal. Perez said he always likes to gamble on himself and did not feel pressure because every time he steps out there, he is betting on himself. The next test is simpler and bigger at the same time: Sumudaerji in Macau, with Perez now trying to turn another international booking into the kind of run that keeps him moving forward in 2026.
