Heading into a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo in late 2020, it seemed like Alex Perez was poised to be a player in the UFC’s flyweight division for years to come. He was 6-1 inside the Octagon, with his lone loss coming to perennial title contender Joseph Benavidez.
Even a quick submission loss to Figueiredo didn’t exactly feel like a death sentence in a division that has long struggled to find new contenders and given multiple opportunities to fighters who could put together more wins than losses on a consistent basis. Almost two years later, however, and fans could be forgiven for carving Perez out of the contender’s circle altogether, even while he retains his #6 ranking in the division.