BKFC star ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry has a shortlist of fighters he would love to toe the line with someday.
On Saturday, April 27, Perry will return to the squared circle for a showdown with another former UFC fighter turned bare-knuckle brawler — Thiago Alves. The pair will headline the promotion’s fourth-annual Knucklemania event at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Alves has competed under the BKFC banner twice before, defeating Julian Lane via split decision before scoring a doctor’s stoppage TKO against Ulysses Diaz to claim the promotion’s inaugural middleweight championship.
Speaking with Mike Owens in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, Perry spoke about the randomness of his scrap with Alves at the yearly extravaganza, suggesting that ‘Pitbull’ is just looking for a paycheck after exiting the promotion nearly two years ago.
“It came out of nowhere that he was coming back, but it made sense because we were supposed to fight before,” Perry said. “He got the bare-knuckle strap and then I came in and started beating people up and he went away for a little while because he didn’t want to fight. He’s coming for a check, trying to get some attention for himself. In my eyes, I think he’s a little fake. He’s trying to tell himself something. He’s trying to make himself believe that it’s still in the tank for him.”
After going 2-0 under the BKFC banner, Alves’ contract expired in May 2022. Refusing to re-sign, he was ultimately stripped of the middleweight strap. During his time fighting inside the Octagon, Alves went 15-12 over his 14-year run, earning victories against Chris Lytle, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and Karo Parisyan.
“I’m sure he’ll be tough,” Perry added. “He comes from a tough place, but he moved to Florida same as I did. This lovely Florida weather. It gets hot down here. We work hard, we train in the heat. I live in the heat. We get under those lights and fight and I’ve proven time and time again that this has always been my fighting style.”
Mike Perry Names Three Fighters (Not Named Jake Paul) That He Would Love to Compete Against
Perry has already taken on some of the biggest names in combat sports, including former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez. He has also shared the squared circle with former Bellator star and recent UFC debutant Michael ‘Venom’ Page. But for Perry, those names are just beginning the scratch the surface of what’s possible.
Revealing the top three names on his wish list of future fights, ‘Platinum’ said:
“Thiago… His teammate is Dustin Poirier,” Perry said. “I think that would be a great fight. He’s a smaller faster guy. He’s a southpaw I think it would be a great fight. He throws the hands, but he doesn’t have any experience in bare-knuckle. I’m not saying it necessarily has to be bare-knuckle.
“And then shout out to Ericson Lubin. I’ve never had the opportunity to work with him. He’s in the WBC. He’s had some huge boxing bout and I’m calling you out, bro. We’re acquaintances and his boxing is incredible. I’m trying to break into that world and get ready for a fight like with Caleb Plant. That would be an incredible fight, but that isn’t even the third name.
“The third name is Darren Till. That’s a fight to make and we’re probably looking to make it inside of my promotion and me and Darren can have a fair share at the shake. We’re the promoters. We’ll be the first MMA fighters and promoters that come together to create an event and fight each other and reap the benefits.”
Another name Perry can’t stop talking about is Jake Paul. ‘The Problem Child’ is scheduled to square off with legendary pugilist ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson on Saturday, July 20 from the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Should Paul deliver a good showing against the 57-year-old former unified heavyweight champion, Perry would love to chance to step inside the ring with him — whether it be with or without gloves.
“I think that’s a possibility. If he gets through Mike Tyson or however that fight is gonna go, I’d be happy to box Jake with the gloves on,” Perry said. “I want that chance. If I come in with gloves and I beat Jake Paul, then we’re talking [fights with] Tommy Fury or Caleb Plant. Or Ericson Lubin fits in there too.”
He continued: “These guys are very high-caliber fighters and I bring something very high-caliber to the table. Not just my fighting attributes and things like that. We are talking real money over here. Life-changing sh*t for a lot of people. I’m in the top 1% getting paid out here as a fighter.”
Watch the full exclusive interview below:
