Although his name isn't often on the tip of expert tongues in regards to potential top contender status in the bantamweight division, Erik Perez is a young upstart with plenty of potential. That's why he was thrown into the fire with a veteran hand like Takeya Mizugaki at tonight's (Wed., Aug. 28, 2013) UFC Fight Night 27: "Condit vs. Kampmann 2" event in Indianapolis, Indiana.
And what a scrap it turned out to be.
Indeed, Perez looked on his game early, firing off with punches that were connecting good and chin right on the sweet spot. In return, Mizugaki was letting go with his trademark winging offense but he wasn't having much success.
That is until the second round when his straight counter shots were coming down the pipe and finding nothing but chin. These two were scrapping away in an evenly matched tilt that could have gone either way in the first two frames, though it appeared there was a clear winner of each of the opening two rounds.
The third was close, with a tight submission nearly ending it when Mizugaki got Perez in a deep choke that looked tight enough to secure the tap. Ultimately, the only Mexican born fighter in the UFC came up short via split decision.
For complete UFC Fight Night 27 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.