UFC targeting Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely for August event

The UFC is booking bouts fast and furiously – so much so that they are already working on fights for the August schedule.

The promotion is currently targeting a middleweight matchup between Markus Perez and Eric Spicely for Aug. 1.

Currently, Perez (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) vs. Spicely (12-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) is the only known bout for the Aug. 1 event, which has not been formally announced. There is no known location for the card at this time.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking on Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting.

Perez, 29, has alternated losses and wins since his UFC debut in December 2017. Losing his debut to Eryk Anders, Perez rebounded with a submission win over James Bochnivic. Since then, Perez has bookended a submission win over Anthony Hernandez with unanimous decision losses to Andrew Sanchez and Wellington Turman.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the UFC schedule, Perez was scheduled to fight April 11 in Portland, Oreg. against Alessio Di Chirico. However, the event was ultimately canceled.

Spicely, 33, has been booked for three fights since his UFC return in June 2018. All three books failed to come to fruition. In his promotional return fight, Spicely, a submission specialist, pushed his ground abilities to the side against Deron Winn. While losing the fight, Spicely earned a $50,000 performance bonus for “Fight of the Night.”

Prior to the pandemic outbreak, Spicely was expected to fight March 28 in Columbus, Ohio against Roman Kopylov. However, the event was ultimately canceled.