Mike Perry, alongside his team, has announced the creation of Dirty Boxing Championship, a new combat sports organization featuring hybrid rules bouts that mix boxing with limited ground-and-pound.
Mike Perry is stepping into the promotional game.
On the eve of his boxing match against Jake Paul, the UFC veteran and BKFC star held a press conference in Tampa. He announced the creation of Dirty Boxing Championship, a combat sports organization he’s founding with his team at First Round Management, former Karate Combat executive Adam Kovacs, and Josh McLean of Kanpai Media.
According to Perry, Dirty Boxing Championship will feature hybrid rules bouts. These will mix the striking arts of boxing with five-ounce gloves and limited ground-and-pound.
“This promotion has been in the works for over a year,” Perry said. “We started this because of my success in bare-knuckle.”
He added, “There are many great fighters out there who’d like to compete in something like this but don’t want to take the gloves off. A couple names come to mind.”
Dirty Boxing Championship bouts will be held in a smaller 18-foot ring. They’ll feature three three-minute rounds, with five rounds for championship fights.
All hand strikes will be allowed, including elbows. Fighters who score a knockdown can use follow-up ground-and-pound punches but must stay on both feet while doing so.
Weight classes are expected to mirror MMA’s traditional divisions.
The launch of Dirty Boxing Championship’s first event is expected around September or October. The promotion currently does not have a broadcast deal.
“I think this rule set is going to be the most exciting thing for casual fans,” McLean said.
Already the face of bare-knuckle boxing, Perry expressed willingness to compete in his new organization if matchups make sense from a promotional lens.
Watch the full launch of Perry’s newest endeavor below.