Ailin Perez added insult to injury on Saturday in France.
A day after missing the bantamweight limit by 0.5 pounds, Perez destroyed Daria Zhelezniakova with a powerful wrestling and submission game en route to a first-round finish. Known for her signature twerking dances after victories, Perez kept with the tradition she began before coming to the UFC.
Perez didn’t just break into a dance in her corner; she twerked and taunted Zhelezniakova while she was on the ground and continued as her opponent got to her feet. Perez even redirected the aim of her dance to double down on the taunt.
Here is a look at the winning sequence and post-fight celebration.
Longtime combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani also called out the disrespect.
Perez responded to Helwani’s post and asked for an opportunity to explain herself on the former’s new show.
If there is such a thing as tripling down on an action, Perez said, “I Khabib’d the Russian and then twerken on her GOAT emoji.”
Perez has seen her ranking in the UFC women’s bantamweight division rise to No. 15, and she has accumulated more than 500,000 followers in Instagram and even more on OnlyFans.
After her victory and post-fight celebration in Paris, the latter two numbers may see an increase, but the UFC ranking may stay pat at No. 15.
Perez missed weight, which is generally frowned upon in combat sports. Things can happen during a weight cut that complicates things, but failing to make the contracted weight is still widely regarded as unprofessional.
Perez drew attention on Friday because she looked visibly shaky and perhaps sick from attempting to make 135 pounds.
Because Perez only missed weight by a half-pound, she won’t get as much criticism as a fighter who missed by three pounds or more, which we’ve seen in both MMA and boxing.
There is a world where Perez and Chelsea Chandler could vault past veteran Germaine De Randamie. The 40-year-old veteran has only fought once since 2020, and that fight ended in a loss by unanimous decision to Norma Dumont.
De Randamie was supposed to fight Nora Cornolle on the Paris card, but the former withdrew. Perhaps on Tuesday, when the newest UFC rankings are released, de Randamie will have dipped to No. 15, and Chandler and Perez will be 13th and 14th, respectively.
As for the dancing, some may find it offensive, but it has become Perez’s signature and undeniably a part of her story as she rises in the women’s bantamweight ranks. We’ll see who she gets matched up with next. Perez and Tracy Cortez have some beef that has manifested online in the form of exchanges on X.
However, Cortez may be focused on the flyweight division, where she recently lost to Rose Namajunas. Perhaps a fight against No. 8 Holly Holm would make sense for Perez.
Holm insists she isn’t ready to retire, and Perez might be the perfect opponent for her to be proven right or wrong.
Here is a look at all of the results from UFC Paris.
UFC Fight Night Paris Main Card
- Renato Moicano def. Benoît Saint Denis via TKO at 5:00 of Round 3
- Nassourdine Imavov def. Brendan Allen via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- William Gomis defeats Joanderson Brito via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Bryan Battle defeats Kevin Jousset via TKO at 3:47 of Round 2
- Morgan Charriere defeats Gabriel Miranda via KO at 0:27 of Round 2
- Fares Ziam defeats Matt Frevola via KO at 2:59 of Round 3
- Ion Cutelaba defeats Ivan Erslan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Oumar Sy defeats Jung Da-woon via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
- Ľudovit Klein defeats Roosevelt Roberts via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Taylor Lapilus def. Vince Morales via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
- Ailín Pérez def. Daria Zheleznyakova via submission at 3:52 of Round 1 (Arm-Triangle Choke)
- Daniel Barez defeats Victor Altamirano via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
- Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats Nora Cornolle via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chris Duncan defeats Bolaji Oki via submission at 3:34 of Round 1 (Guillotine)
