Sumudaerji got his payback in Shanghai, beating Alex Perez by unanimous decision at UFC Shanghai on Saturday. The flyweight rematch landed on the same card where UFC Shanghai already had weigh-in chaos, but this one came down to three rounds of wrestling pressure, takedown defense, and late offense.
The official result was clean on paper and sweaty in real life. Sumudaerji took all three scorecards by 29-28, with the bout going the full 15 minutes and ending as a Round 3, 5:00 unanimous decision. Perez had his wrestling moments early, but Sumudaerji made the third round count when the fight started turning into a clinch-and-scramble mess.
UFC on Paramount+ posted the official result clip below.
UFC Shanghai Event Date, Venue And Broadcast
The bout took place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the Pudong Development Bank Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. UFC Shanghai streamed live in the United States on Paramount+, with the preliminary card beginning at 3 a.m. ET and the main card at 6 a.m. ET.
Official UFC coverage from the event:
Sumudaerji Flipped The Rematch Late
This was not some clean highlight-reel walkover. Perez moved well in the first round, got in on takedowns, and forced Sumudaerji to spend long stretches fighting off the fence. In the second, Perez again put him down and worked from guard, which made the final five minutes feel like danger time for the Chinese flyweight.
Then the third round turned into Sumudaerji’s argument to the judges. Perez kept chasing takedowns, but Sumudaerji stuffed enough of the important attempts, answered with elbows in close, and found top-side control during a scramble. It was not pretty, but flyweight fights do not hand out style points when a ranked veteran is trying to glue you to the mat.
The win hits harder because this matchup already had unfinished business. Their May 2026 meeting ended after Perez could not continue following a low blow, leaving the whole thing stuck in that weird no-contest fog. This time, Sumudaerji walked out with an official result and a ranked name on the ledger while UFC Shanghai kept pumping out violent finishes elsewhere on the card.
Sumudaerji is now listed at 19-7 with one no contest, while Perez drops to 26-10. Perez is still a former UFC title challenger and a nasty style test for anyone at 125 pounds, but losing a rematch after getting his wrestling going early is the kind of result that stings twice.
The flyweight lane in Shanghai has been loud all morning. Bilal Hasan detonated Nilson Rojas, Andre Lima found a late guillotine, and Sumudaerji added the grind-it-out ranked win. Not every victory needs a faceplant to matter. Sometimes the ugly 29-28s are the ones that keep a career moving.
