LAS VEGAS – Cristian Perez is glad he had the opportunity to make Mexico proud with his second appearance on Dana White's Contender Series, and hopes he can do it again with a quick turnaround for his UFC debut.
Perez (15-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) earned a UFC contract Tuesday evening after finishing Logan Paxton with strikes in the second round. It was the Mexico-born fighter's second shot on DWCS, following a stoppage loss against Manoel Sousa last year, where he felt he let his entire country down. Perez bounced back with a first-round finish on the regional scene in April, leading to another opportunity, which he capitalized on thanks to a different outlook.
"After what happened last year, to be winning that fight, be ahead, I got hit in the nose, and
after that, it just fell through my hands," Perez told reporters through an interpreter during a post-fight news conference. "Not getting the contract and not fulfilling my dream, I had a lot of doubts in my mind. I thought, 'Do I not deserve to be here? Is this for me? Did I not work hard enough? Do I not deserve to be in the big leagues like I want to?'
"In that moment, I changed my mentality. That's one thing I said, I'm going to live in the present. If you live in the future, you will be sworn by anxiety. You're always thinking what's ahead. You're always anticipating other moments, and everything is ahead of you. If you live in the past, you live in depression, because you think of times that have gone by, and that's it. No future, no past, no anxiety, no depression – living in the present. That's what I am doing, living in the moment, enjoying it as much as possible."
The new mentality led Perez to accomplish his dream of entering the UFC. The promotion's CEO, Dana White, was thrilled with his performance, so much so that he immediately wanted him to be booked for the Noche UFC card taking place on Sept. 12 in Glendale, Ariz. It wouldn't be the first time a DWCS signee had a quick turnaround for their debut, but for Perez to have his first fight at an event celebrating his country's independence would be special.
"I will be ready," Perez said. "I want to fight, whether it's Noche, whether it's in Mexico in the future, whether it's anywhere else, I want to. I feel like I'm a dignified representative of Mexico. Last year we came with a strategy to have my jiu-jitsu showcase, and I said, no, not this year. This year we came for something else. We came to put on a show, because that's what people want. That's what the boss wants, and I think he was really happy with that."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC newcomer Cristian Perez glad to make Mexico proud, ready for Noche UFC
