Alex Perez knocks out Matheus Nicolau in UFC Vegas 91 main event

UFC Vegas 91 took place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.  The event was headlined by a flyweight bout between fifth-ranked Matheus Nicolau former title challenger and eighth-ranked Alex Perez.

Nicolau had a six-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing losing to Brandon Royval by knockout a year ago. Perez had lost his last three fights heading into Saturday’s showdown and was in desperate need of a win. 

Perez inched forward behind his jab early in the opening round.  Perez connected with a right hand.  Both fighters were cautious early until Perez pressed forward with a flurry of punches to the body.  Perez continued to target the body of Nicolau.  Perez moved in the pocket with a combination.  Nicolau connected with a counter combination displaying his hand speed.  They exchanged leg kicks late in the round.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Perez due to a higher output.  

Perez’ corner was happy with the first round.  The two exchanged leg kicks to start the second frame.  Perez pressed forward with a flurry of punches that were mostly blocked.  The pace in the second round picked up from the first.  Perez continued to land to the body of Nicolau.  Perez stunned Nicolau with a right hand.  He kept the pressure on.  Nicolau tried to move laterally to escape but Perez connected with a right hand the crumbled Nicolau forcing the referee to stop the fight.  

The official time of the knockout came at 2:16 of the second round.  With the win, Perez will likely debut inside the Top 5 rankings.