Alex Perez awaits MRI after nasty UFC Vegas 93 injury, unsure of return timetable

Alex Perez is hoping for the best after suffering an ugly injury at UFC Vegas 93.

This past Saturday’s main event at UFC APEX in Las Vegas ended in disappointment for the longtime flyweight contender as he lost via TKO when he fell to the mat with opponent Tatsuro Taira hanging on his back. Perez immediately reacted in pain when he went down, prompting referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the contest in the second round.

The extent of the leg injury is still to be determined. On Monday, Perez posted a message on social media, writing that he is undergoing an MRI and hopes to return to action soon.

“Well it is what it is on to the next one,” Perez wrote. “Congrats to my opponent and his team. I go in today to get a MRI and start the recovery process. Not sure how long it will be but I will be back for sure. Tough times don’t last but tough people do. I’ll see you guys soon.”

Prior to Perez’s post, his representatives told MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin that an MRI would take place sometime this week after swelling subsided in the fighter’s knee.

Perez, 32, is a one-time UFC flyweight title challenger. He lost to then-champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255 in November 2020, a setback that is part of his current 1-4 stretch inside the octagon. Heading into his fight with Taira, Perez was coming off of a second-round knockout of Matheus Nicolau that snapped a three-fight losing streak.