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Ailin Perez of Argentina reacts after a submission victory against Daria Zhelezniakova of Russia in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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Under The Radar | Ailín Pérez

Bantamweight Looks To Extend Division's Longest Win Streak In Her Own Unique Style At UFC 311

If you’ve ever watched Ailín Pérez fight, then you’re probably well aware of her signature victory dance: the twerk. And these days, she’s been twerking quite a bit.

The No. 13 ranked bantamweight’s current four-fight win streak is tied for the longest in the division, and she’ll look to own that streak outright when she meets Karol Rosa on the prelims of UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarkukyan 2 in Los Angeles.

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Her flamboyant style wins fans in the audience while simultaneously ruffling the feathers of her potential opponents. But to be around Ailín Pérez is to witness a lighthearted spirit who is determined to have as much fun as possible in the window of her career as a professional athlete.

 Ailin Perez of Argentina celebrates defeating Joselyne Edwards of Panama in their bantamweight bout during UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Ailin Perez of Argentina celebrates defeating Joselyne Edwards of Panama in their bantamweight bout during UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Exhibit A would be her UFC 302 victory over Joselyne Edwards. A run-in at the UFC Performance Institute had led to some very public bad blood between the two, but after 15 minutes in the Octagon, Pérez initiated reconciliation, even before the scorecards were read. “Sportsmanship,” Daniel Cormier observed from the mic that night. “They’ve got to squash the whole beef.” The tension had put eyes on the fight, but life was too short to keep it running.

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That decision win was the third in her current four-fight twerk streak, and it came in front of her biggest audience to date at the New Jersey pay-per-view event. It followed unanimous nods over Lucie Pudilová and veteran Ashlee Evans-Smith; all tough outs.

Her most recent victory this past September at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Saint Denis might have been her sweetest. Not only did she get her first UFC finish and her first career armbar submission against Daria Zhelezniakova in the first round, but she also avenged her only UFC loss in the same city where she dropped her UFC debut: Paris. That bout was on less than one week’s notice at featherweight, hardly anything to hang your head about when you consider what was to come. But it was important to her to show the world that she’s the real deal.

Ailín Pérez Submits Zheleznykova | UFC Paris
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Ailín Pérez Submits Zheleznykova | UFC Paris
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“No one works harder than her,” her manager Martin Pakciarz once told me. “All the coaches who have ever worked with her say she is the first to show up and last one to leave the gym. She also is a single mother who does everything for her son while maintaining a pro athlete lifestyle. She handles it all very well and she is a great mother.”

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Born in 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pérez grew up watching her brothers’ passion for rugby, and wanted a contact sport she could call her own. By age 12, she started training in Sanda and Kung Fu, which remains the core of her fighting style. To date, she’s collected a red belt in Kung Fu, a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and multiple titles, including South American Sanda Champion (twice), South American MMA Bantamweight Champion (twice) and champion in  Samurai Fight House promotion, which attracted the notice of the UFC.

Saturday’s contest against No. 9 Rosa might be the stiffest challenge of her run to date. One of the most well-rounded fighters in the division, the Brazilian boasts nearly-equal mastery of BJJ and Muay Thai, and has used that lethal combination to turn back established talents like Yana Santos, Pannie Kianzad and Lina Lansberg. 

Watch Ailín Pérez's Bouts On UFC FIGHT PASS

Pérez sees Rosa only as the last roadblock to a top ten ranking and a row of opponents that she aims of pick off, one by one. And the Goat Shed Academy protégé has called them all by their names, starting with Norma Dumont.

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Dumont is the fighter that shares Pérez’s four-fight win streak at bantamweight, and has won five straight overall going back to her run at featherweight. The two have exchanged words for years, dating back to when Dumont—after defeating Karol Rosa--called out Pérez. It was puzzling, considering Pérez was 0-1 in the UFC at the time, but it spoke to her uncanny ability to get under the skin of her competition. 

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Kayla Harrison has also been mentioned by Pérez, because shooters shoot.

"I got some big ovaries," she laughed backstage in New Jersey. "I want to prove I can do this in five rounds."

Order UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2 Now

UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano took place live from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on January 18, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!