After 10 amateur bouts, Glendale’s Joseph Perez made his professional debut on March 7 in the Fusion Fight League. He had to travel to Montana to do it, but he had his team and his older brother Mike Perez by his side.
Joseph Perez’s mind was set on one thing: winning his fight with a bang. It didn’t take long to achieve that goal. In the first round, he caught his opponent Jack Girtin close to the cage and connected with a strike from his right hand to secure a TKO in 1:34 and start his professional career with a win.
“It was do or die,” Perez said. “You always want to start on a good note, especially as a professional. I went in and worked the hardest I have ever worked leading into the fight. It definitely paid off, and it set the bar I need to be at to prepare for fights.”
Growing up with three brothers and one sister, Perez was always active, playing football with his brothers, who are all more than five years older than him, or practicing his mixed martial arts. He got beaten up and pushed around by his brothers, but that only pushed him to work harder on his toughness and athleticism.
His brother Mike has been with him throughout this journey.
“I’ve seen the growth over time,” Mike said. “He’s always been the most athletic but another aspect in which he’s shone is mentally. No matter how gifted you are, it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t motivate yourself and push yourself in this sport. Having your own drive is what separates him from others in this sport.”
Perez began his journey as a 6-year-old, practicing martial arts at Hwa Rang Do, where he eventually earned a black belt. After stepping back from the sport, he played wide receiver at Glendale Community College and then at Grossmont College in El Cajon, California.
After getting his scholarship pulled due to funding issues because of COVID-19, Perez found himself back at home where he fell in love with MMA. After watching the UFC with Mike Perez, he was inspired to take on MMA and they began training toward that goal.
One fighter Perez looked up to in the UFC was former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who trains at Red Hawk Academy in Peoria. A few months after starting his training there, Perez competed in his first amateur fight in a backyard, knocking out his opponent while O’Malley watched.
Tim Welch was O’Malley’s coach when he won his UFC title in 2023 and even with a lot of fighters to train, he took Perez under his wing. Welch has been with Perez ever since.
“He came in as an athletic kick boxer, played football in college before, but he has a love for this sport,” Welch said. “He comes in every day or even twice a day, at least. He is really a student of the game, wanting to learn and wanting to be the best in the world. He’s got a great work ethic and has a lot of potential.”
After starting off his professional career with a win, the mindset in his camp remains the same. Welch said they will keep working on what works for Perez while still improving his grappling skills along with Jiu-Jitsu training.
Mike Perez is also helping his brother become a more complete fighter and outlined how he wants Joseph to go forward.
“Be smart and challenge himself, but we need to check all the boxes to different styles and bodies he can face,” Mike said. “The sky is the limit for him so we need to pick the right fights at the right time and take it from there.”
Joseph Perez gives props to his coaches and brother. He believes that without them, he wouldn’t have made it to this point.
“Since the beginning, I have trained with my team here,” he said. “It started with three guys but it kept growing, and the coaches have instilled great fundamentals in me. My brother has been a game-changer. I wouldn’t be here without his sacrifices, holding the pads and making sure I make the weight cut.”
Throughout the journey, Joseph has set a few goals for himself. The biggest one is reaching the UFC ranks. But just as importantly, he wants to enjoy the journey getting there. He said he has learned a lot of lessons and met a lot of people along the way, so the process to get to this point is what he has enjoyed the most.
Last year, while still an amateur fighter, Joseph had five fights canceled. As a professional, he hopes that won’t be a recurring problem. For now, he and his team are in search of his next opponent. He has spoken with a matchmaker and is aiming to fight on May 2 in Phoenix at the Celebrity Theatre.
Matchmaking in MMA is a process that requires fighters to contact matchmakers weeks or even months in advance. This process requires finding fighters in the same weight class with rankings that make sense. Sometimes, however, fighters decline to take a fight, which can lead to potential bouts falling through.
While his pro career has just started, Joseph is hoping to continue his journey and win his second fight in front of friends and family.
“Right now, we don’t have an opponent but the goal is still May 2,” he said.
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