Alabama Native to Make UFC debut in February

The UFC roster has added an Alabama native, and he's scheduled to compete in February.

Trevor Peek, an undefeated lightweight prospect, was born in Jackson County, Ala., in 1995. Less than three years after starting his professional mixed martial arts career, Peek is unbeaten and set to debut on the big stage Feb. 25.

As of this writing, the Fight Night card's headliner is a light heavyweight showdown between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann.

Peek earned his UFC contract in September 2022 with a Dana White's Contender Series stoppage win over Malik Lewis. The victory moved him to 7-0 overall, and none of those fights has seen the judges' scorecards.

Get our free mobile app

Standing across the Octagon from Peek will be Alex Reyes (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who hasn't fought since his promotional debut in 2017. After that, Reyes saw a 2018 matchup disappear amid serious health issues which threatened his fighting career. Now, in 2023, he will return to face the Alabama native, dropping down a weight class from when he made his UFC debut.

History doesn't favor fighters returning from significant layoffs, but Reyes has UFC experience, whereas Peek does not. The Contender Series is a path to Octagon success- one of its most successful alums, Jamahal Hill, is fighting for the light heavyweight title on Jan. 21.

Peek fought four times in 2022, culminating in his contract-earning appearance, but isn't waiting around to get the next stage of his career started. In fact, Peek isn't one to wait around at all. Just a month prior to beating Lewis, he finished UFC veteran Khama Worthy in 73 seconds.

In February, Peek has the chance to further put Alabama on the UFC map and join the stable of fighters with ties to the state.