Alex Perez appeared to be building momentum before an unfortunate ending brought his UFC Macau clash to a premature conclusion.
Opening the main card against hometown favorite Sumudaerji, the former flyweight title challenger looked sharp early and pushed a relentless pace in the opening round.
Perez pressured from the outset, backing the Chinese contender toward the fence with aggressive combinations while mixing in level changes to keep his opponent guessing.
Although “The Tibetan Eagle” found success with a handful of body kicks and counters, Perez largely controlled the tempo of the fight. The action was briefly paused midway through the round following an accidental eye poke from Sumudaerji, but the American veteran recovered and continued to dictate the pace. He closed the frame by forcing grappling exchanges, including a brief guillotine threat during a late scramble.
The momentum shifted dramatically in the second round.
Sumudaerji stormed out of his corner and landed a crisp combination that dropped Alex Perez, giving the hometown fighter his biggest moment of the contest. However, before he could capitalize, the action was halted following an accidental groin strike.
Alex Perez was given time to recover, but the veteran was visibly struggling. After attempting to continue, it became clear that he would be unable to proceed, forcing referee Lukasz Bosacki to stop the contest at the 1:45 mark of Round 2.
With the bout ending due to an accidental foul, the result was officially ruled a no-contest.
Perez entered the fight fresh off a first-round knockout victory over Charles Johnson at UFC 324 earlier this year. He now holds a UFC record of 8-6 with one no contest and 26-10 overall as a professional.
For Sumudaerji, the bout ends in frustration after entering the contest on a three-fight winning streak. “The Tibetan Eagle” now owns a UFC record of 6-4 with one no contest and a professional mark of 19-7.