Alex Perez’s strange UFC journey continues.
Fans have learned to expect the unexpected with Perez, who has had a brutal stretch of cancelled fights and weight misses in recent years, and his flyweight matchup with Sumudaerji at UFC Macau on Saturday added another chapter to his bizarre legacy.
Nearly two minutes into the second round of their fight, Sumudaerji caught Perez below the belt with a front kick, leaving Perez on his knees retching and hovering over a puke bucket.
Watch the footage below.
It’s unclear if Perez actually vomited and referee Mark Craig could be heard telling cageside official Marc Goddard, “It’s just saliva.” Regardless, after a lengthy break in the action and Goddard being brought into the octagon to consult on the decision, the bout was eventually ruled a no-contest due to the accidental foul.
It was a bad—and self-inflicted—break for Sumudaerji, who was beating Perez consistently on the feet before landing the fateful foul. Sumudaerji had Perez hurt badly with a punch early in Round 2, but Perez was able to recover as they grappled on the ground. Moments later, with the fighters back standing, Sumudaerji kicked Perez in the groin and that would be the last meaningful action of the contest.
The bout was officially stopped 1:45 into Round 2.
Sumudaerji (19-7, 1 NC) was aiming to break into the top 15 by beating the ranked Perez (26-10, 1 NC), but both fighters now go back to the drawing board after Saturday’s inconclusive result.