Ailin Perez expects an “easy fight” against Darya Zheleznyakova

Ailin Perez goes into UFC Fight Night 243 with great confidence – so confident that she already has a few names in mind for her next fight.

Perez (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), an up-and-coming bantamweight, doesn't think she'll have much trouble getting her hand raised against Darya Zheleznyakova in Paris on Saturday, even though it will likely feel like enemy territory. Although she's originally from Russia, Zheleznyakova (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) trains out of France and will likely have the support of spectators this weekend.

Perez appears unimpressed by the fight in France and rates her chances very well.

“To be 100 percent honest, I think this is an easy fight, my friend,” Perez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I don't know how else to put it. She's a very inexperienced fighter. She has her roots in boxing and is a good boxer, but in MMA she's not at my level.”

“She underestimates me and says my punching power is zero. So I'm looking forward to an exchange with her. I'll be the one who starts punching and we'll see how good she is.”

Perez claims that Zheleznyakova was bad-mouthing her skills leading up to the fight. These comments did not bother Perez, but instead motivated her.

“It didn't bother me, but my ovaries were hard,” Perez said. “Fighters who talk bad about me have to pay for it in the cage. You can ask Joselyne Edwards. I know I didn't knock her out, but I hit her pretty hard when I punched her. Darya is completely wrong, and I'm going to show her that in the cage. The more she underestimates me, the more dangerous I become.”

If Perez wins, she will have won four fights in a row and she believes that would open up a big opportunity for her, whether it's a big name, a main event spot or both.

“After I beat Darya, I'm going to ask my girlfriend Dana White for a main event, preferably against Kayla Harrison,” Perez said. “We're still insisting on that fight because that's the fight I need to prove I'm worthy of fighting for a belt. And if not, Norma (Dumont), if she stops running from me. She only wants to fight people who are above her in the rankings, and that's fine, but part of the reason she's ranked is because she's never fought me and lost. So Dumont or Julianna Peña, who is a punching bag.”

For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.