Former UFC flyweight title challenger, Alex Perez has confirmed how a seizure suffered backstage during his warm-up ahead of a fight with Manel Kape at UFC San Antonio last night, resulted in his removal from the Texas card.
Perez, who has been sidelined since July of last year where he suffered a decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277, had previously challenged for undisputed flyweight gold against former champion, Deiveson Figueiredo.
Headlining UFC 255 in November 2020 against the Brazilian on short-notice, Perez, the current #6 ranked flyweight contender, suffered a first round submission loss, with Figueiredo latching onto a guillotine choke inside just two minutes of the first frame.
Seeing a slew of fights against the likes of Brandon Moreno, Aksar Askarov, Matt Schnell, and Kai Kara-France shelved in recent years, Perez was forced from last night’s main card fight against former Rizin FF champion, Kape due to health issues.
Alex Perez confirms a medical emergency forced him from UFC San Antonio
Posting an official statement on his Instagram account, Perez, a staple under Colin Oyama in California, confirmed he had suffered a seizure backstage during his warm-up routine for his main card fight with Kape.
“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for all the support and concerns,” Alex Perez posted. “I was doing my pre-fight warm up and had a seizure. I immediately received medical attention. My hydration, eletrolytes, etc were all more than adequate.”
“This has nothing to do with weight cut,” Alex Perez continued. “It was one of the easiest cuts of my career. I will be undergoing further testing in the upcoming weeks to determine the cause. I would appreciate privacy. My apologizes to my opponent and fans. Thank you to the UFC medical team for their help and support.”
In his most recent Octagon victory, Perez managed to defeat Jussier Formiga with a first round TKO courtesy of leg kicks at UFC 250 in June 2020.
