UFC Vegas 91: Alex Perez stuns Matheus Nicolau

Former flyweight title challenger Alex Perez took his short-notice opportunity with both hands to blast his way back towards the sharp end of the UFC’s 125-pound division.

Perez needed a round and a half to knock out Brazilian contender Matheus Nicolau and make a real statement to the rest of the division.

It will also likely catapult Perez up the flyweight rankings to within striking distance of the flyweight top five.

The co-main event saw a big win for Uzbekistan’s Bogdan Guskov, who fnished Ryan Spann in the second round to claim a big-name scalp in only his third fight in the UFC.

Women’s strawweight prospect Karine Silva also claimed a notable win with a unanimous decision victory over Ariane Da Silva (nee Lipski), while undefeated Brazilian heavyweight Jhonata Diniz knocked out Austen Lane in the second round of their main card matchup.

There were also notable wins for Uros Medic, who knocked out Tim Means in the main card opener, and Victor Henry, who stopped Brazilian grappling ace Rani Yahya midway through the third round of their bantamweight clash.

UFC Vegas 91: Official results

MAIN CARD

• Alex Perez vs. Matheus Nicolau via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 2:16
• Bogdan Guskov def. Ryan Spann via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:16
• Karine Silva def. Ariane Da Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jhonata Diniz def. Austen Lane via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 2:12
• David Onama def. Jonathan Pearce via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Uros Medic def. Tim Means via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:09

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Victor Henry def. Rani Yahya via TKO (head kick and punches) – Round 3, 2:36
• Austin Hubbard def. Michal Figlak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Don’Tale Mayes def. Caio Machado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ketlen Souza def. Marnic Mann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Chris Padilla def. James Llontop via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:33
• Ivana Petrovic def. Liang Na via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 1:29
• Maheshate def. Gabriel Benitez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)