Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. A high-stakes Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight tilt
has seen a change in opponent that should be no less exciting. According to
MMA Junkie on Thursday, Alex Perez
has been forced out of his
UFC 262 appearance on May 15. The reason for Perez’ withdrawal
has not yet been disclosed. The event that will be held at the
Toyota Center in Houston now sees Matt
Schnell (15-5) take on Rogerio
Bontorin (16-3, 1 NC) instead. The matchup has since been
confirmed by Schnell on his Instagram page.
Brazil’s Bontorin will be looking to snap the first losing streak
of his career, as he lost to Ray Borg in
2020 by decision, and was subsequently knocked out by Kai Kara
France in March. The then-once-beaten Bontorin surged his way
on to the Brazilian edition of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, where he
tapped out Gustavo
Gabriel Silva in the second round to score a contract.
Victories over Magomed
Bibulatov and Raulian
Paiva leapfrogged him into contention.
Schnell has won five of his last six dating back the last four
years, with finishes over Jordan
Espinosa and Louis
Smolka notched along the way. Schnell’s path to contendership
was derailed when Alexandre
Pantoja knocked him out in the first round in 2019, but
“Danger” bounced back over a year later to take a split verdict
over Tyson
Nam. Both Schnell and his new opponent Bontorin hold a majority
of their career wins by submission, and each have tapped to chokes
just once in their respective careers.
UFC 262 goes down on May 15 at the Toyota Center in Houston, in
front of a sold-out crowd. The headliner comes in the form of a
vacant lightweight title match between Charles
Oliveira and Michael
Chandler. In a first for the promotion, the co-main event will
also be a five-round affair, when Leon
Edwards takes on Nate Diaz with
no gold on the line.
