Title Shot Next for Ailin Perez?
In a strange, uneventful fight, Ailin Perez extended her winning run. What's next for the Argentine athlete?
In an extremely uneventful fight, Ailin Perez got her hand raised over Norma Dumont in controversial fashion. The build-up to the fight was heated, personal and got fans excited for the moment that the two women met in the octagon. What played out was a very tentative fight, with each woman waiting for the other to make the first move and counter. Many believed Dumont should have had her hand raised, but it wasn't to be.
We're in a world where, if Kayla Harrison or Amanda Nunes pulls out of their UFC 334 fight, Perez could fight for the belt. She's nowhere near championship level, which speaks volumes as to the strength of the bantamweight division.
We take a look at who Perez could face next.
Title Shot Next for Ailin Perez?
Joselyne Edwards
Somehow, someway, Joselyne Edwards is ranked #1 at bantamweight with the META rankings. Gone are the days when Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Holly Holm were mixing it at the top of the division.
With that being said, Edwards vs Perez is the fight to make next. Both women are coming off a win over Norma Dumont, and neither woman is anywhere near championship level as it stands. It would be hard-pressed to say that this fight would feature on a PLE main card, but stranger things have happened (UFC 332 main event for one).
Julianna Pena
Is Julianna Pena still an active UFC fighter? With three fights since 2021, all of which have (somehow) been title fights, Pena is certainly inactive at best. She's also shown she's not championship level, getting utterly dominated by Kayla Harrison when they fought.
If she's serious about making another run at the title, a win over Perez would help her on her journey back to title contention.
Winner of Santos vs Santos
We're scraping the barrel of potential opponents at this point. Yana Santos and Luana Santos meet in a three-round co-main event on October 31st. Yana is looking to extend her winning run to four straight, with her Brazilian foe also looking to go four undefeated.
For Perez, it would be fighting down in the rankings; however, she shouldn't be considered for a title shot as things stand, so another win over a highly ranked opponent will increase her strength of schedule.
