Bantamweight star Ailin Perez took the biggest win of her career on Saturday evening.
The Argentine fighter has earned a legion of fans for twerking during her ongoing win streak.
However, many people expected her to fall short against top competitor Karol Rosa at UFC 311.
Against all odds, she got her hand raised and did her signature dance move during Dana White's first pay-per-view card of 2025.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The story of Ailin Perez versus Karol Rosa
Perez was aggressive from the first bell. 'Fiona' charged in with an early takedown attempt, which didn't work, but she followed with another that gave her top position.
Not much damage was done on the floor and Rosa eventually worked her way back to her feet, but she ate a spinning fist as her underdog opponent finished off a strong first round in style.
Rosa's lack of urgency in the second stanza frustrated UFC commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier. It was a largely uneventful stand-up fight, with Perez occasionally landing striking spin attacks before securing another takedown.
Perez landed enough ground and pound to seemingly win the round and gain a commanding lead heading into the final frame of her biggest fight to date.
A much better round for Rosa in the third. The Brazilian almost dropped her rival with a hard leg kick before leaving her with a large bump on her forehead.
It wasn't enough to convince the judges in her favor as Perez earned a scorecard of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.
What's next for Ailin Perez?
Perez should enter the bantamweight top 10 when the UFC rankings are updated next week.
A title shot is probably just a few wins away, especially since she's becoming a WMMA superstar.
Julianna Pena is the current queen of 135 pounds after defeating Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 in September.
Kayla Harrison appears to be next in line, but Perez thinks the champion is trying to avoid that fight.
“I'm going to ask for a title fight, preferably against Kayla Harrison for the interim title, since Julianna Peña doesn't want to defend her fight against Kayla Harrison,” Perez told Hablemos MMA ahead of UFC 311.
“That makes me kind of, I don't know, like, 'Come on woman, defend your title. Who are you, Julianna Peña?' I feel like she's terrified of Kayla Harrison, and I want to show that I want the belt too.
“So why not an interim title fight against Kayla Harrison to see who is next for the title? Julianna is turning down fights and not taking advantage of the opportunity the UFC offers her.”
“Obviously Kayla,” Perez added when asked to predict Pena vs. Harrison. “That's why I want to fight Kayla.
“Just like I think Kayla beats Julianna, I don't think Kayla has what it takes to play five rounds with me. That's why I want to fight for an interim belt. That's where we'll see all of Kayla's weaknesses.
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