Erik Perez will head to enemy territory for his Bellator debut.
Perez (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will face Toby Misech (11-7 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) at Bellator 235, set to take place at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, in a special “Salute the Troops” card on Dec. 20. The bout was first reported by KHON2.com.
This card will be the first of a promotional doubleheader that weekend, where the next day, Bellator women’s flyweight champion and Hawaii’s own Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will defend her title vs. Kate Jackson.
UFC veteran Perez is on a five-fight winning streak, picking up three straight wins before departing the UFC, followed by two finishes in his short tenure with Combate Americas. Perez has expressed his goals of becoming the Bellator 135-pound champ, and it starts with Misech.
After failing to secure a UFC contract in a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, Hawaii’s Misech signed with Bellator, splitting his first two appearances. He is coming off a unanimous decision loss to former bantamweight champ Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 215 in February. He was scheduled to face Brian Moore on Sept. 27 in Dublin, but an injury forced Moore out, and the fight was scratched from the card.
Bellator 235 is headlined by a heavyweight contest between Josh Barnett and Ronny Markes.
Erik Perez to make Bellator debut vs. Toby Misech at 'Salute the Troops' card in Hawaii