"I didn't need this in my life" - Fans react to slow motion replay of Alex Perez damaging his knee against Tatsuro Taira

UFC flyweight standout Tatsuro Taira extended his undefeated run to 16-0 with a resounding victory over Alex Perez at the recently concluded UFC Vegas 93 event.Taira leveraged a brilliantly plotted game plan in the fiercely contested bout.

However, in the second frame, Perez, in a bid to unseat Taira's grip from the standing rear mount, ended up twisting his leg. The injury was partly inflicted by the Japanese sensation applying force to drag his opponent to the canvas.

The 24-year-old walked away with a TKO victory due to the knee injury. Slow-motion footage from fight has since been revealed, giving fans a closer look at Perez's knee injury. The video has left MMA fans aghast as they expressed their concerns on a Reddit thread. One fan wrote:

"He tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, DVD, VHS, and the cartilage."

Another fan wrote:

"Fuc*ing sh*t man. I didn't need this in my life."

Yet another fan wrote:

"Bro we did not need to see that in slow motion."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Fans react to slow-motion replay of Alex Perez's injury [Images via Reddit]

The loss marked Perez's fourth setback in five Octagon assignments. As for Taira, the recent win secured his sixth triumph on the grand stage of the UFC. The Japanese stalwart leap-frogged eight spots in the divisional ladder following the win, moving up to occupy the No.5 spot in the flyweight bracket.

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Alex Perez issues statement following TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira

Alex Perez returned to action in 2024 following a prolonged hiatus that had kept him away from the Octagon since July 2022. While he was scheduled to take on Manel Kape UFC on ESPN 43 in March 2023, he was forced to withdraw from the contest after suffering a seizure during warmup.

Staying vigorously active was Perez's motive for the year, and he did just that.He has already competed three times in 2024, even though we're only in June. However, the recent TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira is likely to keep him on the sidelines, at least for the foreseeable future.

While he will need to take some time off before he returns to action, his drive to re-enter the fray remains high. The American took to Instagram to issue a statement following the loss, writing:

"Well it is what it is on to the next one. Congrats to my opponent and his team. I go in today to get a MRI and start the recovery process. Not sure how long it will be but I will be back for sure.Tough times don’t last but tough people do.

Perez added:

"I’ll see you guys soon. I appreciate all the love and support. Also I wouldn’t be able to do this without your support. Big thank you to my coaches, teammates, Perfecting athletes, and my managers for all the hard work."

Check out the statement below: