UFC on ESPN: Perez vs. Taira
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | June 15, 2024 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Global |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC on ESPN: Perez vs. Taira—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 58 and UFC Vegas 93'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 15, 2024. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
This event represented the milestone 100th UFC show hosted at the UFC Apex, a location that has been utilized since May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, events were conducted without live audiences, later allowing limited fan attendance.
The headline bout was a flyweight clash featuring former UFC Flyweight Championship contender Alex Perez against the emerging Japanese athlete Tatsuro Taira. Perez was initially slated to compete against Tagir Ulanbekov, but was reassigned to lead an earlier card. The original Perez-Ulanbekov matchup was reinstated; however, it was ultimately canceled after Ulanbekov failed to make weight by 3.5 pounds. Subsequently, Ulanbekov was paired with Joshua Van, who had been Taira's initial opponent, but that fight was also called off due to the weigh-in complications.
A women's strawweight contest between former LFA Women's Strawweight Champion Julia Polastri and Josefine Lindgren Knutsson occurred after being postponed from an earlier event because of Knutsson’s injury.
A heavyweight bout intended to feature former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski versus Martin Buday was rescheduled for UFC 303 for reasons not publicly disclosed.
A middleweight matchup between André Muniz and Ikram Aliskerov was planned but canceled when Muniz withdrew due to a foot injury. Antonio Trócoli stepped in as Muniz’s replacement; however, this fight was eventually scrapped as Aliskerov was reassigned to headline UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov against Robert Whittaker following Khamzat Chimaev’s withdrawal.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Gabriella Fernandes vs. Carli Judice
- Performance of the Night: Tatsuro Taira and Brady Hiestand