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Former UFC fan-favorite fighter Mike Perry now competes for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, however that doesn’t mean he won’t return to the Octagon.
In a recent interview with MMA Underground, Perry’s manager Malki Kawa said that he only has two fights left on his BKFC contract and isn’t ruling out “Platinum” returning to the UFC after it’s finished.
Perry is set to headline BKFC 27 on August 20th opposite Bellator MMA star Michael “Venom” Page at the Wembley Arena in London, England. In his first bare-knuckle fight in the promotion, Perry bested “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Julian Lane via unanimous decision at BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 in February.
Kawa compared Perry transitioning from the UFC to another promotion to other standouts who have moved on, like former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and strawweight star Paige VanZant.
Kawa pointed to the UFC platform being responsible for helping build fighters into household names.
“I think a lot of people don’t give the UFC credit for that,” Kawa said (h/t MMA News). “I’ve been able to move Anthony Pettis and Paige VanZant because they’re UFC fighters. They might not have gotten it here, but then they went and got it somewhere else, and I think that’s very, very important for fighters to understand. You can come to the UFC and do the best you can — look at Mike Perry. I hate to say this, I don’t think he was ever gonna become UFC champ. There were some holes in his game and he was bouncing from gym to gym… He goes to (BKFC) and it’s like he found his home.”
Kawa Said Perry Could ‘Absolutely’ Make a UFC Comeback
Kawa said it was the right decision for Platinum to take up bare-knuckle boxing. But, he could “easily” return to the UFC after a few more fights.
“Did he wanna stay in the UFC? Yes. Could he have stayed in the UFC? Absolutely,” Kawa continued. “Was it the right move? 1000%. I tell you this much, he beats MVP, I think he’s got one fight left on his contract at BKFC, he could easily come back to the UFC. Easily.”
Perry has a professional mixed martial arts record of 14-8, which includes 11 wins via KO/TKO. He made his promotional debut in August 2016 at UFC 202, which was one of the biggest events in the company’s history as it was headlined by the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch.
Perry drew Hyun Gyu Lim and he starched the Korean fighter in the first round by TKO. After his successful debut, Perry went on to fight 14 more times inside the Octagon. All in all, Platinum has a 7-8 UFC record which includes wins over Paul Felder, Alex Oliveira and Jake Ellenbeger.
Perry Ended His Time With the UFC on a 1-4 Run
Platinum’s UFC chapter came to a close in a less-than-optimal way for the fighter. He suffered four defeats in five fights, which included a TKO loss to Geoff Neal.
His last fight took place in April 2021 at UFC on ABC 2 and Perry dropped a unanimous decision to Daniel Rodriguez. Perry parted ways with the promotion soon after.
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