SUMMARY
- Alex Perez will make his UFC return after two years this Saturday.
- He will go up against unbeaten flyweight prospect Muhammad Mokaev.
This weekend’s UFC Fight Night will see two heavyweight fighters, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Shamil Gaziev, going at it in the main event. In the co-main event, light heavyweight star Tyson Pedro will take on Vitro Petrino in an exciting three-round clash. But, perhaps the most exciting clash on the card will be between flyweight fighters Alex Perez and Muhammad Mokaev.
Alex Perez is coming back to the Octagon after an absence of nearly two years. Although he is coming off two successive losses, both came against the title holders in the 125lbs division. At UFC 255, Perez lost to the then-champion Deiveson Figueiredo via a guillotine choke. Afterward, he took on the current champion, Alexandre Pantoja, at UFC 277, and Perez lost that too via a neck-crank submission.
The Strap Season! Young & Hungry 🥇#M57 pic.twitter.com/bssCq2lXz4
— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) March 2, 2024
Muhammad Mokaev, on the other hand, is coming off a stunning submission win against Tim Elliott. The unbeaten flyweight fighter has had two knockouts and six submissions in his career. Alex Perez, on the other hand, has had five knockouts and seven submissions in his career. So it does seem like a very well-balanced and well-matched fight on the card. So how will it play out? Let’s find out.
UFC Vegas 87: Alex Pereira vs. Muhammad Mokaev stats
Stats | Alex Pereira | Muhammad Mokaev |
---|---|---|
Wins | 24 | 11 |
Losses | 7 | 0 |
Height | 5 ft 5 in | 5 ft 6 in |
Division | Flyweight | Flyweight |
Reach | 65.4 in | 70.1 in |
Age | 31 | 23 |
Pereira vs. Mokaev: Fight breakdown and prediction
Alex Perez is averaging 4.67 strikes per minute with a 48% accuracy rate. Although he absorbs 3.14 strikes per minute, Perez does have a 60% striking defense. However, his grappling stats are far better than his striking. With an accuracy rate of 44%, Perez does land 2.84 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also holds a 78% takedown defense and attempts 1.3 submissions per fight.
Muhammad Mokaev is also an amazing grappler, with 6.47 takedowns per 15 minutes, which is unheard of! He never shies away from taking the bout to the ground and attempts 1.3 submissions per fight on average. However, he needs to improve his striking game much more if he wants to challenge the elite fighters in the division. With a striking accuracy of 51%, the Dagestan-born fighter lands only 1.12 strikes per minute. Although he only absorbs 1.19 strikes, Mokaev’s striking output will have to improve a lot.
While Alex Perez will have a huge advantage over Muhammad Mokaev in striking, the latter will be a nightmare to deal with on the ground. Not just that, Perez has also been away from the Octagon for a long time and will have some ring rust to shake off. However, that will be incredibly hard to do against someone like Muhammad Mokaev. Mokaev usually tires out his opponents with constant takedown attempts and will look to do the same against Perez this Saturday too.