Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira headlined UFC Vegas 93, a Fight Night card that garnered significant attention due to the recent withdrawals of high-profile fighters like Conor McGregor and Khamzat Chimaev from upcoming bouts.
Taira, an undefeated 15-0 fighter and the first title contender from Japan since Kyoji Horiguchi, faced a formidable challenge in Perez, who had previously challenged Deveison Figueiredo for the title in 2020.
The main event started with Perez pressing Taira against the fence, but the Japanese fighter quickly turned the tables, firing a knee as they broke apart. Perez, undeterred, ripped body shots and attempted clinches, making the fight a brawl and forcing Taira out of his comfort zone – grappling. Perez mixed in low kicks and landed a straight right, while Taira suffered an eye poke that briefly halted the action.
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In the second round, the pair repeated the pattern, with Taira receiving a warning from the referee, Herb Dean. Perez came out aggressively after the restart, continuing to mix in calf kicks. Taira responded with jabs and low kicks but struggled to gain momentum until he changed levels and drove for a takedown.
Taira climbed Perez’s back, securing a body triangle, and the fighters eventually hit the ground after Taira leaned back, shifting his weight. It was at this moment that Perez appeared to sustain a knee injury, prompting him to tap and end the fight.
Taira emerged victorious by TKO (injury) at 2:59 of the second round and subsequently called for a title fight with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
