Ailin Perez is very confident entering UFC Fight Night 243 – so confident that she already has a few names in mind for her next fight.
Perez (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a rising women’s bantamweight, doesn’t think she’ll have much difficulty getting her hand raised Saturday in Paris against Darya Zheleznyakova despite it likely feeling like enemy territory. Although originally from Russia, Zheleznyakova (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) trains out of France and is expected to have the crowd support this weekend.
Perez is unfazed fighting in France and feels very good about her chances.
“Being 100 percent honest, I feel like this is an easy fight, my friend,” Perez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I don’t know how else I can put it. She’s a very green fighter. Her base is boxing, and she is a good boxer, but in MMA she’s not up to my level.
“She’s underestimating me and has been saying my striking is zero, so I welcome exchanging with her, I’ll be the one that starts the striking, and we’ll see how good she is.”
Perez claims Zheleznyakova has been trashing her skills in the buildup to the fight. These comments have not bothered Perez but motivated her.
“It didn’t bother me, but it did tough my ovaries,” Perez said. “Fighters who talk badly about me end up paying for it in the cage. You can ask Joselyne Edwards. I know I didn’t knock her out, but I hit her quite badly in the striking. Darya is completely wrong, and I’m going to show it in the cage. The more she underestimates me the more dangerous I get.”
If victorious, Perez would be on a four-fight winning streak. She believes that would set her up for a big opportunity whether it be a big name, a main event slot, or both.
“After finishing Darya, I’m going to ask my friend Dana White for a main event fight, preferably against Kayla Harrison,” Perez said. “We’re still insisting on that fight because that’s the fight I need to prove I’m worthy of fighting for a belt. And if not, Norma (Dumont) if she stops running from me. She only wants to fight with people above her in the rankings, and that’s OK, but part of the reason why she’s in the rankings is that she hasn’t fought and lost to me. So Dumont or Julianna Peña, who’s a punching bag.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
