Ailin Perez plans to ‘leave everyone speechless’ at UFC 311, enter top 10 rankings

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If all goes to plan, UFC 311 will be a big moment for Ailin Perez’s fighting career.

The rising UFC women’s bantamweight contender faces veteran Karol Rosa in the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view event. It’s an opportunity for Perez (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to extend her winning streak to five in a row and, according to her, crack the top 10 of the UFC official rankings.

“It’s clear that it will,” Perez told Hablemos MMA when asked if a win over Rosa would put her in the rankings. “I’m going to beat Karol, and I’m going to do it in a way that’s going to leave everyone speechless, just like I did with Darya (Zheleznyakova).

“I’ve been on the hunt for a lot of evolution and learning, not just in the cage to finish my opponents, but also outside of it to evolve on the personal side like a mother, daughter, sister. That’s what I need to keep advancing and continuing undefeated at 135 pounds.”

Perez lost her UFC debut back in 2022 to Stephanie Egger at 145 pounds, a fight she took on short notice. Since, she dropped to 135 pounds and remains unbeaten. She’s proud of the work she’s done in the last two years, and believes 2025 will be full of success.

“My first year in the UFC in 2023 it was full of wins, and I continued in 2024 undefeated with victories, and I was able to enter the rankings and get a finish in my last fight,” Perez said. “I’ve gathered all that momentum and I want to keep advancing, and hopefully I get to the heights of fighting for a UFC title. Everything that’s happening to me is a consequence of my hard work.”

As far as her rival Rosa (18-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC), Perez is well aware she’s got a quality opponent in front. But despite seeing her as her toughest bout to date, Perez predicts a stoppage win.

“I think she’s a complete fighter in her style and game plan, but I feel equipped and prepared to finish the fight with a beautiful knockout.”