Alex Perez feeling right at home – literally – for promotional debut at UFC-Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. – There are a lot of things going Alex Perez’s way these days.

One thing of note this week is the flyweight got word Thursday he wouldn’t have to drop all the way down to 125 pounds for his UFC debut. Because his opponent, Carls John de Tomas (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), was struggling to make weight, and the UFC and California State Athletic Commission caught wind of it, Perez (18-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) gets the benefit of fighting at bantamweight.

You’d be hard pressed to find a fighter who would turn down the opportunity to stop cutting weight a day early through no fault of his own. And add to that the fact he’ll be fighting close to home, in front of lots of friends and family, and the prospect who got his shot courtesy of “Dana White’s Contender Series” has to be feeling pretty good.

“It feels just like another fight,” Perez told MMAjunkie this week. “It’s under the UFC, but I feel like I’ve been ready for a long time. My practice partners are in the UFC and I hang in there with them. I’m ready.”

Perez fights de Tomas now in a bantamweight bout on the UFC Fight Night 123 prelims at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. Their fight airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. Presumably, Perez will return to flyweight after this fight, which comes under new special circumstances.

The 25-year-old has five straight wins, including his submission of Kevin Gray in August in the fifth installment of “Dana White’s Contender Series” in Las Vegas. And he’ll be hoping for another quick finish against de Tomas.

“He’s good everywhere, but I think I’m going to go for the finish – try to get that bonus and make my friends and family proud,” Perez said. “I train with some of the best guys in the world. If I can hang with them, I can beat anybody.”

For more from Perez, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.