Plans have shifted around for some of the flyweight’s top competitors.
Alex Perez is no longer expected to face Askar Askarov on July 16th, and is instead now booked to meet Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277 later that month. News of the change was reported by AgFight earlier this week.
The new booking between Perez and Pantoja is expected to take place on July 30th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, USA.
It was learned recently that Askarov had to withdraw from his July 16th bout against Perez. The news continued a long string of bad luck for Perez, as he has failed to find a matchup since late 2020.
Perez has reportedly been booked in six different matchups since 2021, with all of them falling through for varying reasons. His last fight was a title bout when he was stopped within a round by Deiveson Figueiredo.
At the very least, Perez has a new matchup in sight after the cancellation.
He will face Pantoja, who is aiming to build off a successful 2021. He scored two high-profile wins last year, defeating Manel Kape on scorecards and submitting Brandon Royval later on.
A rematch between Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes is expected to headline UFC 277. Here’s how the show looks now:
Bout 9: Julianna Pena (11-4) vs. Amanda Nunes (21-5) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 8: Brandon Moreno (19-6-2) vs. Kai Kara-France (24-9) (Vacant Interim UFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 7: Derrick Lewis (26-9) vs. Sergei Pavlovich (15-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Magomed Ankalaev (17-1) vs. Anthony Smith (36-16) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Paulo Costa (13-2) vs. Luke Rockhold (16-5) (Middleweight)
Bout 4: Drakkar Klose (12-2-1) vs. Diego Ferreira (17-5) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Drew Dober (24-11) vs. Rafael Alves (20-10) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Ignacio Bahamondes (13-4) vs. Ludovit Klein (18-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Alexandre Pantoja (24-5) vs. Alex Perez (24-6) (Flyweight)
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