Updated Feb. 25, 2026, 5:55 p.m. ET
Ailin Perez needs one factor to be clear: she signed a contract to struggle at bantamweight, and she or he’s decided to honor that.
Perez (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a UFC ladies’s bantamweight contender, is scheduled to struggle The Ultimate Fighter 28 winner Macy Chiasson at UFC Fight Night 268 (Paramount+), which takes place Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Chiasson (10-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), regardless of combating within the UFC’s ladies’s bantamweight division, hasn’t made the bantamweight restrict in her previous two bouts: She missed weight in opposition to Yana Santos in October, and had her earlier bout with Ketlen Vieira in May switched to 145 kilos the day of weigh-ins.
The Argentine is conscious of Chiasson’s points with the dimensions, and she or he’s letting the world know she will not be tolerant of any for UFC Mexico.
“She’s boring and very repetitive,” Perez advised Hablemos MMA in Spanish when analyzing her opponent. “I have her well studied. I think Karol (Rosa) was a more dangerous fighter and had a lot more pressure. I don’t see Macy beating me in any way or any area. Not even on the scale, which by the way, I saw her, and she looks like she might not make weight. If she doesn’t make weight, I won’t fight, so she’s going to have to put in the effort.”
Perez has been coaching in Mexico City for a number of weeks now to acclimate to the altitude. During her time there, which she’s been relying on the UFC’s Performance Institute, she’s crossed paths with Chiasson. Perez feels she’s strolling heavy, and has considerations about her making weight on Friday morning.
“She didn’t make weight for her last fight, and the one before that, too, because she ended up doing a catchweight with Ketlen Vieira because she wasn’t going to make the weight, so she offered a catchweight,” Perez stated. “With me, that’s not going to fly. I’ve been preparing for the last three months to first make the weight, and also to fight. So I’m not taking any excuses. She had a lot of time. I see her every day at the UFC PI, and I see she’s very big. I feel like she might not make weight. If she doesn’t make weight, I’m not fighting.”
If the struggle does go down, Perez sees herself ending Chiasson. She’s not a fan of her opponent’s fashion, however that will not cease her from taking one other step nearer to being the No. 1 contender within the division.
“We didn’t want this opponent because she’s very boring and ugly, but things happen for a reason,” Perez stated. “A finish is coming just like you guys saw in France.”
