Perry and Lane nearly brawled again before their fight on Saturday.
Mike Perry and Julian Lane are headlining BKFC: KnuckleMania II on Saturday night, but the fighters were ready to go during the special pre-fight press conference for the upcoming event on Thursday.
Both men were involved in an incident at BKFC Fight Night: Tampa, where the ex-UFC veteran and The Ultimate Fighter alum had an all-out brawl in the crowd. One month after the event, the promotion announced that Perry vs. Lane would serve as the headliner for KnuckleMania II in February.
Ahead of their highly anticipated fight, Perry and Lane fielded questions from assembled media and were asked to give their version of what happened that night. An argument ensued over differences in their accounts, and that is when ‘Platinum’ decided to escalate the situation with what looked like a whiffle ball bat, which he had tucked away in his pocket. Security immediately intervened, and Lane continued to throw verbal shots at Perry.
You can watch the full exchange below, courtesy of MMA Mania.
Batter up! @PlatinumPerry pulls a bat on @JulianLaneMMA at @bareknucklefc press conference pic.twitter.com/IAngCp35af
— MMA mania (@mmamania) February 17, 2022
“You’ve got a bat, b—h?,” said Lane. “Look at this guy. He needs a bat. What are you going to do with that? Guess what? You already called me a b—h ass n— on camera in front of everybody. You’re dropping the N-bomb and you know how I roll. N—, I am black. And you’re dropping the N-word. My peoples already waiting outside to get your ass but I got to make them wait, so I can let you get in the ring and get really f—ked up.
“So with that bat, you might want to watch yourself when you’re walking out of here,” continued Lane. “If you’re going to play like that.”
Perry signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC after fighting out his UFC contract. The 30-year-old went 1-4 in his past five fights before his departure. Lane has been with BKFC for three years, going 2-4 since his debut. ‘Nitrane’ recently suffered a unanimous decision loss to David Rickels at BKFC Fight Night: Wichita.
BKFC: KnuckleMania II takes place on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.