Albazi will have a chance to move up the top-10 at men’s flyweight.
The UFC is working on its final few shows of the year, and one of the matchups on deck is a key bout in the men’s flyweight division.
MMA Fighting reported on Tuesday that former title challenger Alex Perez and rising contender Amir Albazi will square off on a Fight Night card scheduled for December 17th.
Perez (24-7) is on a two-fight losing streak, albeit against absolutely ruthless competition. He challenged Deiveson Figueiredo for the title on short notice, losing by guillotine choke in just two minutes at UFC 255 in November 2020. Numerous fight cancellations for various reasons soon followed, and upon his return at last month’s UFC 277 he was swiftly submitted by Alexandre Pantoja. His last win was a brutal leg kick TKO of Jussier Formiga in June 2020, capping off a three-fight winning streak.
Albazi (15-1) returned from a 19-month absence to submit Francisco Figueiredo via rear-naked choke at UFC 278 just ten days ago. The Iraq native who now trains and fights out of England also holds UFC wins over Malcolm Gordon and Zhalgas Zhumagulov. The latest rankings have Perez at No. 6 and Albazi at No. 10, so this is a big opportunity for Albazi to work his way closer towards a title shot.
No venue or main event has been announced for this December 17th show as of yet.