The UFC holds a fight night event on August 29 in Shanghai, China. In the flyweight division, Alex Perez and Sumudaerji are fighting a rematch after the unfortunate ending of their first bout on May 30.
Multiple sources have confirmed the information to Heavy.com. Perez is ranked No. 11 in the media rankings and No. 14 in the Meta rankings. Sumudaerji is only ranked in the Meta rankings. He stands at No. 12.
The First Fight
During the first fight, both guys fought each other in Macau, China. After a competitive first round (two judges scored it for Perez, and one judge favored Sumudaerji), the Chinese fighter took over and knocked down the former title challenger Perez. Sumudaerji accidentally poked Perez with a finger in the eye, but he was able to continue after a short break. Unfortunately, Sumudaerji then kicked Perez below the beltline. Perez went down and was wincing in pain. He was dry heaving above the bucket he was giving and couldn’t continue.
The fight was ruled a no-contest at 1:45 of the second round, after which Perez was rushed straight to the hospital for medical examination. Despite fan speculation that he was merely acting to find a way out of the fight, the reality was far more severe. Perez had absorbed a low kick that jammed his testicle against his protective cup, causing it to swell to three times its normal size. Perez, who was in severe pain for weeks, slowly made his return to training and expected the rematch now against Sumudaerji.
Stakes For The Fight
Perez needs a victory to keep the top 10 within arm’s reach. As a former title challenger, he remains one of the most recognizable names in the flyweight division despite winning only one of his last four fights, a knockout victory over Charles Johnson alongside stoppage losses to Tatsuro Taira and Asu Almabayev. His most recent outing was the previously mentioned bout against Sumudaerji.
Sumudaerji’s UFC career initially seemed dead in the water after a three-fight losing skid capped off 2024. However, the Chinese fighter completely turned things around with a three-fight winning streak. That resurgence earned him a May opportunity to fight his way back into the rankings against Alex Perez, a chance the UFC is now granting him for the second time.
UFC Shanghai – (August 29th)
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong
- Alex Perez vs. Sumudaerji
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This article was originally published on HEAVY
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