Former flyweight title challenger Alex Perez kicked off the UFC Macau main card on Saturday, paired up with “Tibetan Eagle” Su Mudaerj.
The Chinese fighter had won three straight, while Perez was coming off a finish of Charles “Inner G” Johnson.
With a ranking on the line, the flyweights brought the energy right away as both fighters took the center of the Octagon to begin round one. Perez opened with a series of hooks, pushing Su Mudaerji out of his comfort zone and forcing him back toward the fence.
Eventually, Su Mudaerji was able to work his way out of Perez’s pressure and return to open space, where the hometown fighter began finding his range. A thudding body kick marked Su Mudaerji’s biggest strike of the early going, but Perez continued to keep his foot on the gas offensively. Midway through the round, however, the action was briefly stopped after Su accidentally poked Perez in the eye.
With around a minute left in the round, Perez initiated the first level change of the fight, shooting for a double-leg takedown that Su Mudaerji quickly defended, giving the young striker a boost of confidence. Perez stayed committed, though, eventually creating a scramble off of a Su Mudaerji takedown, threatening with a guillotine attempt before the round came to a close.
Round two had a much different feel, as Su Mudaerji came out of his corner like a bullet train leaving the station. He landed a clean one-two that dropped Perez to the floor, instantly shifting the momentum in his favor. However, that momentum was quickly halted once again when a second inadvertent foul landed to the groin of Alex Perez, forcing another pause in the action.
Perez immediately dropped to his knees in pain, requesting a bucket as he tried to recover from the foul. With the clock ticking down, Perez heaving over the bucket but mostly keeping his lunch down, it became clear that he would not be able to continue, forcing the fight to be brought to a halt.
The bout was ruled an unfortunate no contest after a promising flyweight matchup was derailed by repeated accidental fouls.
Official Result: Alex Perez vs. Su Mudaerj ends in a No Contest (accidental groin kick), Round 2, 1:45