‘If She Wants To Fight, I’m Down’

After securing her third-straight win inside the Octagon, rising fan favorite Ailin Perez is ready for her first main event.

Perez moved her overall record to 10-2 at UFC 302, securing a unanimous decision victory over Joselyne Edwards.

With her popularity rising, ‘Fiona’ thinks it’s about time she gets a headlining spot on one of the promotion’s future cards—and she has a pretty big name in mind for her opponent.

“What I want is to fight in a five-round main event, with a preference to be against Kayla Harrison,” Perez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “We want that fight because she’s the best fighter in the division and the person with the biggest name after me.

“Sorry girls, whether you like it or not, Ailin Perez is making waves on all platforms.”

Considering Perez is yet to break into the bantamweight top 15 while Harrison is sitting securely at No. 4, it’s safe to say that the Buenos Aires native has a lot of work to do before standing across the Octagon from the two-time Olympic Gold medalist.

However, ‘Fiona’ does have another name in mind—that being No. 10 ranked contender Norma Dumont. She even has the perfect way to market the fight to the UFC’s testosterone-fueled audience.

“Yeah, because if they give me Norma, I’ll fight her five rounds, no problem,” Perez said regarding a five-round bout being her priority. “That’s the war of the asses, and she’s been running for a while, so if she wants to fight, I’m down. She’s not booked, and neither am I, so let’s go.

… But yeah, ideally, I would like for it to be against Kayla Harrison or Norma Dumont, so I can kick her ass five rounds.”

Ailin Perez insists she is ready for the next step up in competition

After coming up short in her UFC debut against Stephanie Egger at featherweight, Ailin Perez has secured three wins in a row at 135, besting Ashlee Evans-Smith, Lucie Pudilova, and the aforementioned Joselyne Edwards.

Perhaps it’s time for Perez to take that next step up the ladder.

“I feel I can fight in a main event now,” Perez said. “I have the conditioning, and I’ve found the balance in this weight cut. I know how to cut the weight without suffering too much. When someone is confident they’re going to be world champion, they’re going to grab whatever opportunity, kill it, and come out on top.”