If you do not know who Jose Perez is you haven’t been paying attention.
Jose moved to 3-0 over the weekend at HRMMA 117 by defeating an incredible fighter in his own right, Nick Maupin. It was a back-and-forth affair but one that Perez dominated positioning throughout. It was a clinic in submission attempts and defenses. At the end of the third round they received a standing ovation from most of the crowd and officials. The referee turned to me after the fight and told me it was a privilege to have officiated it.
Immediately after the fight Jose Perez high-fived the referee, the ring announcer, the Ring Girl, and anyone else within range with a big smile on his bruised face. During his post fight interview with UFC legend Chris Lytle he made it clear that he isn’t looking for any easy fights where he stated that he wants to fight “anyone considered elite“. If Perez stays on track and continues to dominate his opponents a spot in the UFC is just around the corner.
I caught up with him after the fight in the locker rooms. He was happy and smiling despite being physically battered and exhausted while his team was tending to his medical needs. He is a fighter to keep your eye on and to not blink.
Perez popped up on quite a few organizational radars in his previous fight by submitting Jacob Dorman via banana split. You can check it out below at time stamp 1:34.
A few clips from Perez vs Maupin at HRMMA 117.