Getty Conor McGregor
The world’s most famous mixed martial arts combatant, Conor McGregor, has been challenged to the “No. 1 fight in the world” by former UFC star Mike Perry.
“Platinum” is 3-0 as a BKFC athlete since parting ways with the UFC in 2021. He picked up a big win over former UFC and Strikeforce 185-pound king Luke Rockhold in his bare-knuckle main event last weekend in Broomfield, Colorado, and McGregor was in attendance for it.
Perry called out McGregor while being interviewed post-fight, which led to “Notorious” entering the ring and engaging in a face-off with Platinum. Perry is now a free agent but has expressed his desire to continue with striking-only combat sports, and when recently speaking with TMZ Sports, Platinum said he wanted to “throw hands” with the Irishman.
“Absolutely, I’ll put them on the line,” Perry said about his self-made ‘Platinum’ championship belt. “I think a fight looks very entertaining. The build-up, the s*** talk. We’ve both been professionals in this business a long time and everyone knows who he is. He’s at the top of that list of professional fighters and athletes — big business marketing standpoint from that.
“I’ve got some big people pushing behind me who would want to make something like this happen. They believe in me and my attributes, and my capabilities in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing.
“He’s still in with the UFC. Let’s hope he beats Michael Chandler and then we can really make the biggest fight in the world” ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry versus ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor.
Of course, it’s unclear what the state of McGregor’s contract with the UFC is, specifically how many fights he has left under the exclusive deal. But, it’s not off the table that the promotion would co-promote with another body as they did for Notorious’ boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.
Perry Said He Looked ‘Bigger’ & ‘Tougher’ Than McGregor
Notorious has put on a lot of size since his featherweight days. And with his upcoming fight with Michael Chandler presumably taking place at welterweight, McGregor doesn’t seem keen to fight lower than 170 pounds anytime soon. That bodes well for Platinum, who scrapped with Rockhold at 185 pounds.
Still, Perry said that he looked “bigger” and “tougher” than Notorious when they went eye to eye after the BKFC 41 headliner concluded.
“I think I looked a little bit bigger, a little bit tougher,” Perry said. “I had a pump going on from the fight I just had. You know, he had his suit on. It was covering up some of his muscles. But, we looked very similar in size. I know he’s long and rangy. He’s my height-ish, so he’s going to be faster and sharper than Luke was.
“Can he hit as hard? Can my platinum head and jaw-line take that left hand? I believe it can. And it’s the same thing that happened to Luke, man. It’s just a matter of time when I close that range on you, and I land those devastating shots.”
Perry Praised Himself as a Litmus Test for Combat Sports Greats
Platinum said that if a combatant wants to be known as “one of the greatest fighters on the planet,” they should be foaming at the mouth to fight him.
“The world knows that he was a serious threat, a very strong competitor – two-time world champion,” Perry said of Rockhold. “And I made it look easy. I look like, if you’re a fighter and you want to be considered and recognized as one of the greatest fighters on the planet, then you’ve gotta want to see yourself facing off against me.”