Earlier this year, it was New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France who got bit by the injury bug, leaving Perez without a February bout, and luckily, the Kape fight was put together quickly, and through it all, the Californian remains in the 125-pound Top 10, and perhaps two wins away from being in the title picture for the second time. But Perez remains focused strictly on the work, and not what a good night at the office will give him.
“I’ve never really worried about the title,” he said. “Even when I got the title shot (against Figueiredo in 2020), it was kind of like an, ‘All right, it’s my turn’ kind of thing. I just work, put my head down, and if it happens, it happens. I’m not a person to go out there and call out for the next title shot; I’m not a person go out there and complain about it. I’m just going to keep working when I win this fight. I’m just going to, like I said, put my head down and keep working and then the title shot will eventually come.”
It’s a veteran’s mindset, but also the mindset of someone who doesn’t expect his fighting career to be the final stop in his life’s journey. Perez is smart enough to know that he can’t fight forever, so he’s preparing for the next chapter, not just for himself, but for his son. So while there have only been two fights in the last two-plus years, he hasn’t stopped working, with his latest venture being his Acai Republic shop in Orange.
