Alex Perez has released a statement regarding his last-second withdrawal from UFC San Antonio.
On March 25, the California native was supposed to meet Manel Kape inside the Octagon for an intriguing flyweight matchup. While the event was happening, the UFC broadcast team suddenly announced that the bout was canceled for medical reasons on Perez’s end. The former UFC title challenger addressed the situation in an Instagram post:
“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for all the support and concerns. I was doing my pre-fight warm up and had a seizure. I immediately received medical attention. My hydration, electrolytes, etc were all more than adequate. This has nothing to do with weight cut. It was one of the easiest cuts of my career. I will be undergoing further testing in the upcoming weeks to determine the cause. I would appreciate privacy. My apologizes to my opponent and fans. Thank you to the UFC medical team for their help and support.”
After winning three consecutive fights, Perez earned a flyweight title shot against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255 in November 2020. The American lost by a first-round submission, and he’s only fought once since then, losing by another first-round submission against Alexandre Pantoja. The 30-year-old has been plagued with misfortune, leading to several bouts being canceled or rescheduled.
Manel Kape calls Alex Perez a coward after pulling out of UFC San Antonio
Manel Kape is the number nine ranked UFC flyweight, with Alex Perez at six. Kape hoped to capitalize on the opportunity at UFC San Antonio and continue climbing the rankings before the bout was canceled. ‘Starboy’ had no sympathy for Perez’s medical issues, especially after their heated faceoff for UFC San Antonio. He posted his response to the situation on Instagram:
“Unfortunately, my opponent just came to the weighing to pose and take a picture! Inside me I felt that he would not have the courage to face me, our energies were totally different and I knew that he did not want to be here, he did not want the same as I wanted, and it was notorious the fear that emanated from him. but I was surprised to see him getting on the bus and I really thought we were going to fight.”
Kape continued by saying:
“Even after grabbing him by the neck and giving him some good slaps in the chest, in the meeting room. We arrived at the Arena, warmed up, turned on my hands and only three fights left for our fight, he just gave up! Your DNA is an abomination. Unlike you, my DNA is from fearless warriors coming from Queen NJinga Mbande, my DNA has history. I kill by the sword and die by the sword inside the battlefield. YOU COWARD ! Cowards die several times before their death.”
Kape joined the UFC in 2020 after becoming the RIZIN bantamweight champion, ‘Starboy’ failed to reach his high expectations in his first two Octagon appearances, losing against Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau. Since then, the 29-year-old has emerged as a potential future title challenger after defeating Ode Osbourne, Takaya Mizugaki, and Kai Asakura.
