Figueiredo submits Perez to retain UFC flyweight title

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo made quick work of Alex Perez in his first title defense.

Figueiredo submitted Perez with a guillotine in the first round of the UFC 255 main event Saturday. The stoppage came at 1:57 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The finishing sequence started when Figueiredo transitioned to a leg lock as Perez looked to secure a takedown. The challenger managed to get on top but Figueiredo sunk in a deep guillotine. After making an adjustment to tighten the choke, he forced Perez to tap.

After the win, Figueiredo called out No. 1-ranked contender Brandon Moreno, who finished Brandon Royval in Saturday's featured preliminary bout.

"(UFC president) Dana (White), make this happen," Figueiredo said in his postfight interview. "That's the fight that I want to happen."

Figueiredo and Perez engaged as soon as the fight started, trading heavy leather on the feet until Perez went in for a takedown about 75 seconds into the round.

With the victory, Figueiredo retained his 125-pound belt for the first time after capturing it in July, extending his winning streak to five. The Brazilian also earned the second-fastest finish in a UFC flyweight title bout behind Henry Cejudo's 32-second TKO of TJ Dillashaw in 2019, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Perez saw his three-fight winning streak come to an end. The 28-year-old became the first alum of "Dana White's Contender Series" to challenge for a UFC championship.