Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
Alex Perez keeps his motivations simple going into a fight. When he steps into the Octagon on Jan. 25 at UFC Fight Night 166, his opponent, Jordan Espinosa, will be ranked one spot ahead of him. Leapfrogging ahead, and closer to the Top 5, could be enough to spice up a fight camp for the No. 11 ranked flyweight. Although he admits it is a factor, Perez’s motivations in every camp are a bit more primal.
“One, he’s ranked above me, and two, he’s trying to knock my head off,” Perez told Sherdog about what pushes him in camp. “I don’t need too much more motivation than that. I don’t look beyond anything else. I just know the guy fighting in front of me is going to come in the best they can. They’re going to try and knock me out, and I’m going to try and do the same. That just gets me fired up to make sure I do all the right things.”
In this conversation with Sherdog, Perez spoke about his upcoming bout with Espinosa in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 27-year-old also talked about his last outing in the cage being at bantamweight and the differences in nutrition between fighting at 135 and 125-pounds. He explained why he prefers the cut and competing at flyweight, as well as his disappointment at having to cancel a planned flyweight clash with Sergio Pettis in September. Along with that, he talked his love of food, learning early in his career to properly manage his money, and much more.
