Alex Perez is in Macau this week for a rare kind of assignment in his career: another fight outside the United States. The 34-year-old flyweight will face Su Mudaerji on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night at Galaxy Arena, putting him on an international stage again after spending most of his fighting life close to home.
That alone makes this trip stand out. Through his first 34 fights, Perez never left the United States, and before reaching the UFC he never even fought outside his home state. His UFC path began with a win on the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series, and for years the travel never took him farther than Philadelphia or Orlando, with most of his appearances coming in Las Vegas.
Now the schedule looks very different. Perez was in Doha, Qatar, last November, then fought Charles Johnson in Las Vegas on the UFC 324 prelims at T-Mobile Arena before heading to Macau. In that stretch, the 34-year-old has now spent time in two of his last three outings outside the country, an unusual run for someone whose career was built almost entirely in the United States.
His last trip also came with problems. Perez missed weight by two-and-a-half pounds before the Johnson fight, was fined 25 percent of his purse and was not eligible for post-fight bonuses. He said that camp was the toughest of his career, adding that he had been dealing with personal battles while trying to be there as a husband, father, friend, brother and sibling. He said he did not feel stressed, but his body still showed the strain and the weight cut turned rough.
Even with that setback, Perez has made clear he is willing to bet on himself. He entered the Johnson bout on the last fight of his contract and said he always likes to gamble on himself, win or lose, because he believes fans want to see him finish. That makes Saturday in Macau more than just another date on the UFC calendar. It is another test of whether Perez can turn a difficult stretch into momentum against Sumudaerji on a night that matters for the next stage of his career.
