UFC 300 was arguably the best card in the promotion's history. This past. 1Saturday's UFC on ESPN 55 card was the first after that landmark pay-per-view, and admittedly looked puny by comparison, but ultimately overdelivered in terms of action, and turned out to be a perfect digestif for the 300 pay-per-view.
Headlining honours went to a flyweight fight, with No. 5 contender Matheus Nicolau taking on the No. 8-ranked Alex Perez. Perez had been scheduled to fight Tagir Ulanbekov in June, but stepped in against Nicolau on short notice to replace the injured Manel Kape. The short-notice gamble paid off, as he flattened his rival with a sizzling right hook in round two.