Bare-knuckle star Mike Perry is ready to fight in any style, anywhere

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The actual discipline — traditional boxing, mixed martial arts, bare-knuckle boxing — was pretty much the same for Mike Perry.

One martial artist alone on the mat against another, both ready to knock each other out one on one in the ultimate contest of skills. With or without kicks, with or without gloves. It didn't really matter.

Perry tried out the different disciplines and even rose to headline the UFC before leaving the premier mixed martial arts promotion after his contract expired in 2021 to compete in the largely unknown Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. But with BKFC, Perry quickly became the main attraction.

On April 27, in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,300 spectators in Los Angeles, Perry knocked out former BKFC champion Thiago Alves in just one minute.

Perry also met Jake Paul in a boxing match on July 20 in Tampa, Florida, but lost by technical knockout in the sixth round. He replaced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who withdrew for health reasons.

Perry is not the only fighter who has competed. several disciplinesMany try out different areas to find out where they can be most successful and struggle through in the hope of earning six figures later on.

The possibilities are numerous, be it boxing, MMA, bare-knuckle fighting or even the highly controversial slap fighting.

Perry has long had eclectic tastes in martial arts, drawing early inspiration from YouTube videos of Tyson and former UFC champion Anderson Silva.

“Ever since I was a kid, I always had a dream of being a world-class fighter,” Perry said. “It was all the same to me. UFC was the biggest thing. It was the show that everyone knew about, and I always wanted to make it there. When I got there, it wasn't as great as it looks on TV. I had a lot to learn, and fighting in that organization made me a lot tougher, a lot stronger, and a lot better at fighting.”

However, Perry never felt completely comfortable in the UFC, enjoying trading blows that were more typical of a boxing ring than kicking in the Octagon or developing a ground-and-pound strategy.

Considering himself a “street fighter,” Perry was willing to use any tools at his disposal to succeed in the UFC, so if he had to develop an effective kicking technique, so be it.

As of 2016, he appeared on five pay-per-view cards. Perry received two awards each for best performance and best fight. He won four of his first five fights, but lost four of his last five.

A chance meeting with BKFC founder David Feldman in 2021 facilitated Perry's transition to the sport. Perry didn't know who Feldman was when he arrived at a press conference hosted by Paige VanZant.

But Feldman knew who Perry was and told him he was in the wrong sport, a blunt statement that initially made the boxer recoil. He did not, however, forget the discussion.

This conversation with Feldman was the trigger for his eventual switch to bare-knuckle fighting.

“Everyone says I was made for this,” Perry said. “This was made for me.”

The training is similar to boxing in many ways. Perry fights with 16-ounce gloves, but unlike boxing, he has to find ways to strengthen his fists to avoid injury on fight night. He goes through a routine of pounding his knuckles and then recovering so he can repeat the whole thing the next day.

He has to be careful not to do too much damage to his fists, because then Perry won't have much left when he actually steps on the mat.

Perry is the main event of the BKFC and is paid accordingly. According to the California State Athletic Commission, he received $600,000 for his victory over Alves. MMA Uncensored reported that he earned $1.3 million in 15 UFC fights.

“It's kind of crazy, but I'm the BKFC sport,” Perry said. “As long as I'm reproducing, the sky's the limit.”

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