Alex Perez cleared for UFC Shanghai rematch after brutal groin injury

UFC flyweight contender Alex Perez has been medically cleared to return after the second-round groin strike that ended his UFC Macau bout with Sumudaerji in May left him hospitalized with severe swelling and a vascular injury.

Perez told MMA Mania the illegal blow caused thrombocytosis, a condition where veins rupture and risk forming blood clots. The swelling ballooned one testicle to softball size and the other to golf ball dimensions for several weeks. He required an emergency ultrasound at a Macau hospital the night of the fight and painkillers to manage the aftermath.

Perez describes the pain and recovery process

The 34-year-old said the strike differed from any groin shot he had absorbed before. A urologist explained the impact severed nerve-dense veins, producing symptoms that included headaches and dry heaving in addition to the genital trauma. Perez no longer trains without a cup, a precaution he had skipped throughout his career until the Macau incident.

The bout was ruled a no contest after Perez could not continue. He has since been booked for a rematch with Sumudaerji at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 30, returning to China where the injury occurred. Perez was riding momentum from a knockout of Charles Johnson at UFC 324 in February before the Macau setback halted his climb in the flyweight rankings.

The Shanghai card will be headlined by Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong. Perez enters the rematch healthy and eager to erase the no-contest result that derailed his spring surge.

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• MMA Mania — Flyweight contender Alex Perez’s ‘softball’ nuts are okay now, but they weren’t for a while | Video