When all is said and done, Ailin Perez wants to be viewed in the same light as one of the all-time UFC greats.
At UFC Fight Night 243, Perez (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) submitted Dariya Zheleznyakova (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for her fourth promotional win – all in a row. The fight took place on Saturday’s prelims at Accor Arena in Paris and was immediately followed by a twerking celebration.
Her main plan of attack throughout her career has been to drag her opponents down to the ground and figuratively drown them into a TKO or submission. Given their similarities in that regard, Perez continues to be inspired by one UFC legend in particular.
“Is there any doubt? I’m the Khabib Nurmagomedov of the women’s divisions,” Perez said at a post-fight news conference (via Buiten De Kooi). “Every single fight that I’ve had in the UFC, I’ve taken the fighters down. That shows it.”
Perez said she’s seen Nurmagomedov from afar, but never has spoken with him directly. She hopes that changes sometime in the future.
“I’d love to actually speak and meet Khabib,” Perez said. “I’ve seen him a couple times in the PI and being a corner. The couple times I saw him, he looked pretty serious. So I’m hoping one day he sees me and he gives me a smile back.”
From all vantage points, there’s a lot of work to be done before Perez’s name can appear in the same chapter of the UFC’s history book as Khabib’s. In order to take one step closer, Perez knows she’ll need to start racking up wins over notable names.
“Ultimately, the goal is to get from here to the top 10,” Perez said. “But at this point, I’m not going to ask for any names and specifics. I know everyone knows who the top 15 names are. Mick Maynard is doing a great job offering me the right fights for me to win. At this point, I’m just going to take whatever they offer me, and I’m going to keep winning.”
“… I’m really tired of calling all these girls out from the weight class, just for them to try to avoid me or run away. At this point, I’m in the top 15. I have a big name. Anyone who wants to fight me, they know who to ask and that’s Mick Maynard – or the fans.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
