Flyweights
Alex Perez (22-5) vs. Jordan Espinosa (14-6)ODDS: Perez (-265), Espinosa (+225)
What a pleasant surprise to see this bout between flyweight standouts on the main card.
California’s Perez could really stand to regain some momentum after a relatively stagnant 2019. Perez was a divisional standout in 2018. He had an impressive UFC debut to cap off 2017, then looked impressive enough in one-sided wins over Eric Shelton and Jose Torres that he was actually favored over Joseph Benavidez by the time the two locked horns late in the year. That bout wound up being a setback for Perez, who abandoned his typical bullying style a bit before getting knocked out. However, Perez rebounded with a win over Mark De La Rosa before missing most of the past year due to injuries.
Espinosa can do a little bit of everything and is ridiculously fast, even by flyweight standards. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native debuted with his own impressive win over Shelton, but what figured to be an important fight against Matt Schnell did not clarify a whole lot, as Espinosa fell into a submission in less than 90 seconds.
Espinosa’s speed makes this a hard fight to call, but Perez has shown enough ability to track down speedier foes and cause some damage in the past that he is the pick, even if Espinosa is a tougher ask. The pick is Perez via decision in a dark horse for “Fight of the Night” honors.
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