Mike Perry has turned to the world of bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) and to the surprise of no one, he fits right in.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight departed the promotion in 2021 before moving debuting in BKB later that year with a split decision win over Michael Seals at Triller Triad. This past Saturday (Feb. 19, 2022), he debuted for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) where he fought two-time The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum, Julian Lane.
However, it was what happened ahead of the fight that caught the attention of many when Perry whipped out a baseball bat at the pre-fight press conference.
“I’m gonna have my own bat, I don’t know how security gonna be,” Perry said on The MMA Hour. “I don’t know how quick they gonna be… I’m protecting myself, I gotta take care of me and the people around me. Outside of the ring, it ain’t fair. We ain’t fighting fair. I had a plastic wiffle ball bat, if that’s really an upper hand, you’ll be alright. You was gonna get a little smack to the face no problem.
“Nobody knew I had it on me. It was funny to me, thinking about it like that. Nobody knew I had this bat boy, I’ll pull it out and get three feet of reach on your ass real quick!”
Perry (14-8 in MMA) defeated Lane via unanimous decision at BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 (watch highlights) and now has his sights set on current Welterweight champion Thiago Alves. After taking the time to rest up from his gloveless affair, of course.
“Absolutely, I do [want to fight for the title],” Perry told MMA Junkie. “I just need a couple of months to heal and strengthen some things. I’ll be working within that time. I can do cardio. My cardio could’ve been better. I knew it was going to be more like a bone cardio, you know what I mean? My hands just hurt from hitting him in the face.”
As for Alves, a fellow former UFC Welterweight, he has a potential return to the cage in mind. “Pitbull” last fought in a June 2021 when stopping Ulysses Diaz in the third-round by doctor’s stoppage — this coming after a decision win of his own over the aforementioned Lane.