Mike Perry is considering his options after his BKFC contract has ended, prioritizing providing for his family and expressing interest in fighting Conor McGregor.
Mike Perry is at a crossroads in his career as a bare-knuckle fighter, currently up for contract renewal. Perry revealed that his fight with Luke Rockhold at BKFC 41 marked the final fight of his most recent deal. Although he enjoys the thrill of fighting without gloves, he is primarily focused on providing for his family. Perry shared his thoughts at the BKFC 41 press conference after Rockhold retired in Round 2, stating, “I’m free from everybody, but I love bare-knuckle boxing. I love David Feldman, and the bare knuckle crew, and the team and the fans, and everybody that’s been showing so much support. They love this bloody stuff, too.”
True to form, Perry had a bloody battle with former UFC middleweight champ Rockhold. Rockhold had landed several hard punches, but Perry’s resilience shone through as he declared, “Once I took the shot, I was like, ‘OK, your size and your weight’ – I’m still ‘Platinum’ at the end of the day, man. My chin still held up strong, and I kind of liked it. I like getting hit. Sometimes, it makes me get into the fight. It makes me be me. And I’m one of the roughest, toughest son of a guns on the planet.” After his victory, Perry had a moment of humility, calling for a faceoff with UFC megastar Conor McGregor, who had been in attendance. The two exchanged pleasantries for cameras.
Perry suggested avenging a UFC loss to Donald Cerrone before fighting McGregor. However, he maintained that the incentive has to be there for both the fighters and the promoters. Perry asserted, “The fights got to make sense for them, and for the money that they’re paying me, they’re like, ‘Hey, do you want, what would you say? I mean, what do you think? Who was gonna win this fight? It was up in the air, it could have been 50-50. Luke’s a big challenge. You look at him, and you’re like, damn that guy is a problem, maybe. But the ‘Platinum’ is platinum.” Despite acknowledging that a fight with McGregor leans more toward a fantasy scenario, Perry remains hopeful. “He likes to box too,” Perry said of “The Notorious.” “We could throw hands. And he gave me a faceoff. How cool is that, bro? That’s what’s up.”