Mike Perry Stops Nate Diaz By Second-Round TKO At MVP MMA 1 After Bloody Netflix Brawl – Highlights

Perry bloodied Diaz, controlled the heavier exchanges, and earned a referee stoppage at 5:00 of Round 2.

Written by Jake Blend
Last updated on May 16th, 2026
Nate Diaz and Mike Perry trade punches at MVP MMA 1
Photo: Netflix Sports on X

Mike Perry defeated Nate Diaz by second-round TKO at MVP MMA 1, earning a referee stoppage at 5:00 of Round 2 after two bloody rounds on Netflix.

Perry pushed the pace from the opening minute, attacked Diaz’s body, and landed the heavier shots in the welterweight co-main event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Diaz had moments with his jab and hit a clean judo throw in Round 1, but Perry’s pressure and damage controlled the fight.

Netflix Sports posted Diaz’s walkout below:

Perry got started early in Round 1:

Diaz answered enough to keep the first round competitive:

Perry came out hunting for exchanges. Diaz tried to slow him with kicks and jabs, but Perry walked through the early offense and worked in close. He landed short elbows, knees to the body, and hard punches while Diaz tried to make him pay in the pocket.

Diaz’s best sequence came when he used a judo throw to put Perry down. Perry stayed calm, worked back into control, avoided the submission looks, and let Diaz stand rather than spending extra time in danger on the mat.

Perry Breaks Down Diaz In Round 2

Round 2 gave Perry his clearest work. He mixed body shots with head strikes, bloodied Diaz, and kept forcing exchanges where his power carried more weight. Diaz kept firing back, but Perry was landing the cleaner punches and making Diaz absorb damage every time the fight settled at close range.

Netflix Sports posted Perry’s Round 2 pressure below:

The two kept trading in close range:

Perry also put Diaz on the ground in Round 2 and stayed heavy enough to keep him from building real submission offense. When the fight returned to the feet, Perry kept landing. A late knee from Perry sent Diaz stumbling near the end of the round, and the referee stopped the fight at the horn.

Netflix Sports posted the result below:

The win gives Perry a major MMA result after rebuilding his career outside the UFC. He entered the fight as the face of BKFC after an unbeaten bare-knuckle run that included wins over Eddie Alvarez, Luke Rockhold, Jeremy Stephens, Michael “Venom” Page, and Thiago Alves. His UFC run ended in 2021 after a 2-5 stretch, but bare-knuckle boxing turned him into a bigger attraction than he was late in his Octagon career.

This fight showed why Perry’s style still works in MMA. He did not need a clean technical kickboxing match. He needed pressure, body work, clinch damage, and enough grappling awareness to avoid Diaz’s submission game. That is exactly what he delivered.

Diaz was making his first MMA appearance since submitting Tony Ferguson in September 2022, his final UFC fight before free agency. Since then, he boxed Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal, losing to Paul by decision before beating Masvidal in July 2024. Against Perry, Diaz showed familiar toughness and volume, but the damage added up before he could drag the fight into deeper rounds.

Diaz’s career record still gives the result weight. He won The Ultimate Fighter 5, fought in the UFC for more than 15 years, challenged for the lightweight title, and became one of MMA’s most recognizable names through fights with Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, Leon Edwards, Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, and Ferguson. He is also a third-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, which made Perry’s choice to avoid long grappling exchanges important.

Perry did not let the fight become a slow grappling match or a long boxing rhythm where Diaz could build volume over time. He made Diaz react early, attacked the body, and kept enough pressure on him to force the stoppage.

For MVP MMA, the co-main event delivered a violent name-brand fight on Netflix. For Perry, it was another high-profile win over a former UFC star and proof that his post-UFC run can carry back into MMA.

Published on May 16, 2026 at 11:37 pm
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Jake Blend

Jake Blend
Jake Blend holds Bachelors in Journalism and has a passion for writing about mixed martial arts and any combat sports.

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