At 18-4 as a professional fighter, 25-year old Alex Perez got to the UFC a little later than he probably would have liked.
In December, Perez fights about a half hour from his home for UFC Fresno. His opponent -- Carls John De Thomas -- made it into the UFC after only six fights, and has one-third the MMA experience of Perez. When speaking to Fightful.com's James Lynch, Perez revealed that he has plans to make a name for himself quickly at 125 pounds.
"Who knows? I win this one and a couple more and I could be in the top 10 by mid (2018). A couple wins and you're in the top ten," Perez said.
Even though his home is at Flyweight, Perez also said that he's open to fighting at Bantamweight, because he's unable to take short notice fights at 125 pounds as easily as many.
"To be honest, I told my managers a short notice fight for me has to be a month. I walk around a little heavier than others. To me it doesn't matter. I like fighting often. I wouldn't mind fighting at 35's. If it's the right fight for me, a short notice fight. The more fights I get, the easier it is for me to get to that belt. I like staying busy," Perez said.
In the full interview Alex Perez (18-4) discusses his upcoming fight against Carls John de Tomas (8-1) at UFC Fight Night 123 on Dec. 9 Alex also talks about making his UFC debut close to home, his training camp for this fight and why he doesn't like taking short-notice fights.