Ailin Perez wants one thing to be clear: she signed a contract to fight at bantamweight, and she’s determined to honor that.
Perez (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a UFC women’s bantamweight contender, is scheduled to fight The Ultimate Fighter 28 winner Macy Chiasson at UFC Fight Night 268 (Paramount+), which takes place Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Chiasson (10-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), despite fighting in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division, hasn’t made the bantamweight limit in her past two bouts: She missed weight against Yana Santos in October, and had her previous bout with Ketlen Vieira in May switched to 145 pounds the day of weigh-ins.
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The Argentine is aware of Chiasson’s issues with the scale, and she’s letting the world know she won’t be tolerant of any for UFC Mexico.
“She’s boring and very repetitive,” Perez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish when analyzing her opponent. “I have her well studied. I think Carol (Rosa) was a more dangerous fighter and had a lot more pressure. I don’t see Mayce beating me in any way or any area. Not even on the scale, which by the way, I saw her, and she looks like she might not make weight. If she doesn’t make weight, I won’t fight, so she’s going to have to put in the effort.”
Perez has been training in Mexico City for several weeks now to acclimate to the altitude. During her time there, which she’s been relying on the UFC’s Performance Institute, she’s crossed paths with Chiasson. Perez feels she’s walking heavy, and has concerns about her making weight on Friday morning.
“She didn’t make weight for her last fight, and the one before that, too, because she ended up doing a catchweight with Ketlen Vieira because she wasn’t going to make the weight, so she offered a catchweight,” Perez said. “With me, that’s not going to fly. I’ve been preparing for the last three months to first make the weight, and also to fight. So I’m not taking any excuses. She had a lot of time. I see her every day at the UFC PI, and I see she’s very big. I feel like she might not make weight. If she doesn’t make weight, I’m not fighting.”
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If the fight does go down, Perez sees herself finishing Chiasson. She’s not a fan of her opponent’s style, but that won’t stop her from taking another step closer to being the No. 1 contender in the division.
“We didn’t want this opponent because she’s very boring and ugly, but things happen for a reason,” Perez said. “A finish is coming just like you guys saw in France.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ailin Perez takes hard stance on UFC Mexico bout vs. Macy Chiasson
