Mike Perry would consider stepping into the UFC Octagon again if the price was right.
After a less-than-stellar ending to his 15-fight UFC career, the fan-favorite fighter is looking to get better at his life with a new promotional home, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). I wrote a chapter.
Perry remains undefeated since leaving the UFC in 2021. Perry, 32, has stepped into the ring with a well-earned resume, including wins over professional boxers Michael Shields, Julian Lane and current UFC fighter Michael Venom Page. Perry's star power further increased during the 2023 season when he defeated former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold.
Perry is fully focused on bare-knuckle boxing ahead of his next fight against Thiago Alves at Knucklemania 4, but the UFC veteran, who is holding a training camp at a mixed martial arts gym, remains interested in MMA. There is. Perry says he's honing his boxing skills against sparring partners who may bring completely different styles.
“I can fight any style, any method,” Perry told MMA Junkie. “I'm a winner and I believe in what I've been doing so I'm going to win anyway. I'm just getting paid for it and it's just, why wouldn't you? “Why don't you?'' Receive all the rewards you give yourself in training. I trained the hardest I've ever trained. And now I am finally cared for and able to take care of myself and my performance has improved because of it. Provide fans with more fun fights. ”
As BKFC's popularity continues to grow and the UFC's dominance in the MMA industry continues, 'Platinum' believes he is the biggest draw outside of the Octagon. That being said, Perry explains why he doesn't really like fighting for the world's best MMA promotion.
“I'm the only one outside of the UFC that people pay attention to,” Perry continued. “They even say, 'Oh, come back to the UFC.' But you know, the UFC wants to pay bodybuilders $10,000, $10,000. These rookies, $10,000, That's $10,000. They'll pit a green fighter against a green fighter, and one of them will be more than capable of putting up some hard shots than in a tough matchup like this.
“Some people say, 'Oh, I'm fighting people who have washed up…' but just like MVP doesn't have washed up. He had a great result in his UFC debut against tough fighters. Eddie Alvarez was tough against Chad Mendes. It was a great match, and he was able to use his speed to hit me, and I was like, It was, “Good.” [up], don't quit. Get her ass back. You're not going to hit me like that and then sit on the chair and quit with three rounds left in regulation. Please lift your hips up from your chair. Come out here and get hit like a man. ”
Perry, who made great strides in BKFC as the original “King of Violence,” hasn't completely ruled out a return to MMA, but it would take quite a while to see him fight in four-round gloves once again. It will cost a salary. To win that kind of money, you need to make yourself “undeniable” like newly crowned BMF champion Max Holloway did with his last-second KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Mike Perry says there is.
“Will anyone come and offer money for an MMA fight? No one. It's a boxing match now. The only chance…as Max Holloway would say, I have to be able to deny it. Maybe MMA. And the UFC will be an option at some point if I continue to deny it,'' Perry concluded.
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