Mike Perry’s night went from bad to possibly worse this past Saturday night.
“Platinum” returned to the boxing ring for a gloved match in Tampa, Fla. for the first time since 2015. A former UFC welterweight hopeful, Perry left MMA in the rearview mirror in favor of bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) where he’s flourished in his perfect five-fight career (6-0 including Triad Combat, 14-8 in MMA).
Unfortunately for Perry, he’s now 0-2 in pro-gloved-boxing matches after Jake Paul defeated him via sixth-round TKO. Perry’s BKB career has primarily taken place in the BKFC and he’s become easily the company’s biggest star to date. It was recently announced that Conor McGregor had become a part owner of the promotion, theoretically giving him power to an extent, and some obligations to represent the company as seen at the Spain press conference last week.
Ultimately, McGregor was upset by the loss and performance of Perry and claimed on Twitter that Perry was fired after the match.
“I think it’s just, he does that,” Perry said on BS w/ Jake Paul. “He Tweets and he gets people to attach to something. Whatever he says, he knows that we had that moment that night in history and it was what people were talking about. So, he’s like, ‘Let me say something about it, talk sh*t about it,’ and be his normal, witty self. And he said something that got people to tune in because, ‘Oh, now Mike is released from Bare Knuckle [FC]!’
“But let’s be honest, everybody wants to see me fight bare-knuckle again. If you’re ever not boxing, if you want to come on over because look, bare-knuckle fights max: 12 minutes. I went over 15 with you. Another small thing to be proud of.”
Perry’s invitation to Paul was met with a positive reaction and the YouTube sensation has already noted how he’s open to an MMA rematch with Perry. This, of course, isn’t the first time Paul has said something similar, stating the same sentiment after his Nate Diaz unanimous decision nearly one full year ago. If Paul does end up inside a cage for an MMA fight, it will have to be for the PFL after signing a contract in 2023.
As for BKB, Paul likes the idea despite how crazy and violent the matches typically are. Perry, on the other hand, last won when he TKO’d Thiago Alves in one minute in April.
“It could be fun,” Paul said. “It’s f*cking crazy, the bare-knuckle sh*t is really, really crazy. I’d be down to do MMA. I’d be down to do bare-knuckle. Dirty boxing, all of the above.
“I saw everyone saying, ‘Mike Perry is the BKFC.’ So, I think it’s f*cked up of him (McGregor) to be d*ck riding you all week like, ‘Look what the BKFC has done for Mike and he’s our biggest star,’ and then all the sudden he throws you under the bus like that.”
Heavyweight. Dana White: Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes winner at UFC 304 ‘absolutely’ next for Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic
Change. UFC 304 roundtable: Will 2 divisions be turned upside down in Manchester?
Money. King Green convinces Dana White to double UFC 304 bonuses to $100K
Talent. Jean Silva confident he’ll knock out every featherweight after UFC Denver win, even Max Holloway
Posturing. Alexander Volkanovski dismisses Ilia Topuria’s suggestion that UFC ‘forced’ Max Holloway into upcoming fight
Debate. Laura Sanko: ‘Jon Jones is the greatest of all-time,’ but Tom Aspinall is ‘the best heavyweight in the world’
Crossover. Jake Paul claims he’ll fight Mike Perry in PFL ‘when the time is right’
Battle. Gina Carano lawsuit against Disney likely going to trial after judge denies motion to dismiss
Assessment. King Green goes off on ‘spoiled kid’ Paddy Pimblett: ‘I’ve been forged by fire. You, they built you’
Between the Links.
UFC 304 Pre-Fight Presser.
MMA Fighting’s Jose Youngs chats with Alexander Volkanovski.
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin chats with Laura Sanko.
BROADENED HORIZIN.
Embedded 4.
Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 preview.
Paddy’s UFC run.
Aspinall vs. … Bisping?!
20 Questions with Paddy and Molly.
Aspinall BTS.
PFL Playoff Build-Up.
DEEP 120 Impact trailer.
Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!
MMA vs. Hockey.
Meeting.
Just wonderful stuff.
TBD.
Alhamdulillah ☝
I’m on weight,
no sauna no hot bath.
The healthiest weight cut in my entire career .
— マネル・ケイプ موسى Manel Kape (@ManelKape) July 26, 2024
The world is broken.
Epic.
Aljo.
10 more weeks til I shut this fool up for all his shit talk!
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) July 26, 2024
Run it, Dana!
Danny Barlow (8-0) vs. Nikolay Veretennikov (12-4); UFC Vegas 95, Aug. 10
Neil Magny (29-12) vs. Michael Morales (16-0); UFC Vegas 96, Aug. 24
Ihor Potieria (20-6) vs. Cesar Almeida (5-1); UFC 307, Oct. 5
Charles Johnson (16-6) vs. Su Mudaerji (16-6); UFC Fight Night, Oct. 19
It would be too stupid of a business move for McGregor to get rid of the promotion’s biggest star. To an extent, Perry is BKFC’s Conor, which makes this whole thing even funnier.
Happy Friday, everyone. Enjoy the awesome weekend of action. Thanks for reading and see you on Monday!
Poll
Will Mike Perry fight in BKFC again?
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
