John Albert vs Erik Perez

by Dr. Octagon, J.D.

Round 1: John Albert coming through with a straight right. Albert throws a head kick then pins Erik Perez against the cage. Albert is throwing knees. Perez turns him around and creates separation. The fighters exchange, Perez throws a push kick to the gut. Albert surges forward, it looks like he landed a glancing left kick to the head and then a knee to the body.

Albert has the single leg and drags Perez to the ground. He gets Perez’s back and goes for a choke, but Perez throws him off and falls into the closed guard of Albert. Albert locks up a triangle and is yanking the arm, but Perez is defending and posturing up. Perez is throwing punches from inside the triangle. Albert is elbowing the top of the head. Perez is landing some hard punches with his face in Albert’s crotch. He probably landed 20 hammerfists from within the triangle.

Albert is taking a lot of punishment and rolls into an armbar, but Perez counters and gets an armbar sunk in. Referee Kim Winslow ends the fight. Albert clearly didn’t tap. Not sure if there was an oral tap, but it didn’t look like it. On replay, I think I see what she called as a tap. Albert sort of lifted his right hand once and put it down. That’s not a tap, but I can see why she might have thought it was one. That’s too bad.

Oh shit. Buffer just said that shit was an oral tap. I guess it wasn’t that hand. I just watched the replay and his mouth doesn’t move. That shit probably shouldn’t have been stopped, but who knows what happened.

Erik Perez wins in the first by armbar. Perez said he didn’t hear a tap.