Bryan Caraway vs. Erik Perez slated for UFC Fight Night 43 in Albuquerque

Another bout is set for the UFC’s first visit to Albuquerque, and it features another home favorite.

Bryan Caraway (18-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will meet Albuquerque-based Erik Perez (14-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in June at UFC Fight Night 43. The Albuquerque Journal first reported the fight booking, and UFC officials later made it official.

UFC Fight Night 43 takes place at Tingley Coliseum, in Albuquerque, N.M. The event is headlined by a fight between former lightweight champion Benson Henderson and Rustam Khabilov and is expected to air on FOX Sports 1 and stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Caraway and Perez are at least somewhat familiar with each other. Perez was scheduled to meet Johnny Bedford a year ago at UFC 159, but had to pull out with an injury. Caraway took his place and won with a late guillotine choke that eventually got him “Submission of the Night” honors. That victory got him back in the win column after a split-decision loss to Takeya Mizugaki.

But Caraway hasn’t fought since then. He was an assistant coach for girlfriend Miesha Tate’s squad on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which taped aired this past fall. He was expected to return in February at UFC 170, but had to pull out of a fight against Lucas Martins.

Just like Caraway, Perez needed a win this past year to get back on track after a split call setback against Mizugaki. The Japanese fighter beat Perez in this past August in Indianapolis to halt Perez’s eight-fight winning streak. But in November, Perez righted the ship with a decision win over Edwin Figueroa at UFC 167.

Against Caraway, Perez will be fighting in front of his home crowd. Just like Khabilov, Diego Sanchez and John Dodson on the card, Perez trains at the esteemed Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA camp in Albuquerque.

With the new booking, UFC Fight Night 43 now includes:

• Benson Henderson vs. Rustam Khabilov
• Ross Pearson vs. Diego Sanchez
• Bryan Caraway vs. Erik Perez
• Lance Benoist vs. Bobby Voelker
• John Dodson vs. John Moraga
• Yaotzin Meza vs. Sergio Pettis
• Yves Edwards vs. Piotr Hallman
• Francimar Barroso vs. Patrick Cummins

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 43, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Erik Perez)