Japan Tatsuro Taira kept his undefeated record intact, but Alex Perez’s injury was an anticlimactic end to an exciting flyweight fight.
In it UFC on ESPN 58 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) would see his hand raised after Perez (25-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) could no longer continue due to a knee injury. the knee in a takedown sequence. The official stoppage time was 2:59 of Round 2.
The action was fast and frequent while it lasted, and the flyweights kept referee Herb Dean light.
Taira began the fight by working behind a left jab with clean technical strikes, while Perez moved forward with combinations. Taira withstood her opponent’s offense, took some clean blows to the chin and responded consistently immediately. The first round was intense and built anticipation for how the rest of the fight would play out.
Perez continued his forward attack in Round 2, creating more pleasing exchanges of punches early in the frame. Taira found an opening for a takedown and quickly rushed to take Perez’s back, which would lead to the unfortunate end of the fight.
Initially on the mat going for a rear-naked choke, Taira remained firmly attached to Perez’s back as he stood up. In the center of the cage, Ella Taira lay back as she pressed Perez’s legs in an attempt to take the fight to the ground. She was successful, but Perez’s knee gave way when they fell.
Perez tapped and began to writhe in pain as the doctor next to the cage rushed in to assess the situation.
Taira, 24, one of the brightest rising stars in the flyweight division, remains undefeated and now has a victory over a former title challenger. While he couldn’t anticipate that an injury would be the cause of his victory, he improved to 6-0 in the UFC, a streak that includes four finishes.
Pérez, 32, entered immediately after a surprise stop in the Performance of the Night over Matheus Nicolau in April. Unfortunately, an injury cut short what was a competitive fight against Taira.
Updated UFC on ESPN 58 results include:
Tatsuro Taira defeated. Alex Pérez by technical knockout (knee injury) – Round 2, 2:59
Miles Johns defeated. Douglas Silva de Andrade by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Lucas Almeida defeated. Timmy Cuamba via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Brady Hiestand defeated. Garrett Armfield via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3, 1:52
Asu Almabayev defeated. José Johnson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Adam Fugitt defeated. Josh Quinlan by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Nate Maness defeated. Jimmy Flick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Gabriella Fernández defeated. Carli Judice by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Westin Wilson defeated. Jeka Saragih via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:49
Melquizael Costa defeated. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3, 1:50
Josefine Knutsson defeated. Julia Polastri by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub to UFC on ESPN 58.