Mike Perry hasn't spent much time thinking about Darren Till lately, but he's certainly still confused as to why that fight isn't happening.
Since Perry emerged from MMA as the face of bare-knuckle boxing, he has become a must-see on television and is currently BKFC's biggest star. He has had back-to-back viral fights with former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, but a showdown with Till seemed like the perfect matchup for his first fight in 2024.
Perry and Till have been fighting each other in interviews and on social media over the past few years, and with both men no longer in the UFC, a matchup between the two seemed inevitable. Unfortunately, BKFC chairman David Feldman was unable to accommodate Till's financial demands, and the Liverpool native ended up competing in a boxing match or two before hanging up the gloves to take on Perry. He said he decided he wanted to take it.
Feldman did not reveal the promotional amount for this fight, but Perry claimed: MMA hour Till reportedly said no to “more than $2 million” to fight him.
“What is he doing?” Perry told MMA Fighting when addressing Till. “What's he doing? I know they made him a ridiculous offer. You're not interested in offers like that and respect that you want what you want.” Please. When you want what you want, that's fine.
“But that's one thing about BKFC too – at the end of the day, screw on the gloves. Test yourself for real. Hit the bone. Skin and bones, baby, it's there. It's about trying yourself.
For now, Perry is only days away from his fight against UFC veteran and former BKFC champion Thiago Alves, which will headline the BKFC Knucklemania IV card in Los Angeles on April 27th.
Perry had no problem accepting Alves as an opponent, but thought Till would sign on the dotted line until word got out that the former UFC title challenger had turned down the offer.
Perry doesn't understand why Till keeps sending him private messages about a potential fight, but assures him there's no malice on his part.
“People want that fight to happen, and it might happen,” Perry said. “He's still talking. He pops into my DMs and he's out drinking with his friends and he's talking shit like, 'Fucking house, blah, blah, blah.' It's like a fucking brick house, kid. I am here. I'm in the arena. I'm in the middle of a fight. There's an event coming up. I get this money, and you're trying to make things happen here. Well, please stop.
“We're slaves to the fighting game, and that's what we signed up for when we became fighters. If he wanted to fight me, I think he would have had a chance and a chance.” ?Does he want to fight me with gloves on? Does he want to fight someone else with his hands on? That's fine. I think he can do that after this.”
Perry doesn't discount Till as a legitimate challenge, but he understands there's a lot at stake for anyone facing Till in a bare-knuckle fight with no experience in the sport. Rockhold lost several of his teeth fighting Perry in 2023 and found out the hard way.
On top of that, Till left the UFC with a 1-5 record and ended up on a three-fight losing streak. Four consecutive losses, even a bare-knuckle fight against Perry, won't inspire confidence in his future.
Still, while Perry acknowledges that Till is worthy of the praise he has received over the years, it remains to be seen whether the two men will meet in the ring to resolve their differences.
“Darren is a good fighter,” Perry said. “Maybe it would be great, because he fought on points. [Stephen] “Wonder Boy” Thompson wins by decision. It was a close battle, but he won. He had a very close race with Robert Whittaker. He thought it could have gone either way, but things didn't go his way. Doricas du Plessis proved himself and became champion. He's 185 tall and obviously has strength like I've never seen before. It's not something that bothers him.
“Maybe he's too busy enjoying life and just goofing around.'' I'm busy putting myself in. I'm using my time as wisely as possible to better myself.”
