Mike Perry has traded the Octagon for a triangle.
Free Agency
The former UFC fighter is no longer a part of the promotional MMA powerhouse. It was learned in October, that Perry was a free agent, after he fought out his UFC contract. ‘Platinum’ would end up not re-signing with the UFC. Instead, he is taking his skills elsewhere.
Weeks after testing the waters of free agency, Perry would be made an offer he couldn’t refuse. BKFC. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship would quickly pick up the heavy-handed Florida man and add him to their roster.
However, signing the contract wouldn’t prevent Perry from trying his hand in different forms of combat. Just a few days after the massive bare-knuckle announcement, Perry would be allowed to pick up the gloves in what is another great opportunity for him.
He would sign the dotted line and compete in Triller’s inaugural ‘Triad Combat’ event on Nov. 27. His first post-UFC fight will happen against pro boxer Michael Seals, inside a triangular ring.
Stand & Bang
The rules are bent to host a middle ground of sorts between MMA and boxing. No ground work, no kicks, no big gloves, clinching allowed. It’s new genre of striking.
As you can expect, Perry is ecstatic about it.
“The grappling slows the fights down a lot,” Perry told Helen Yee. “This is the chance to make us stand as men and fight until one of us is weak in the knees and can’t stand anymore. We got to show our heart and our warrior spirits, and we’re going to stand and bang until one man can’t stand no more.”
Stronger Than Ever
We all know Perry had a tough time cutting to welterweight while in the UFC. Especially, when he proceeded to ‘dab’ after he missed weight by four and a half pounds against Tim Means. Now, it’s not so much a problem for ‘Platinum’, who is contracted to fight at 175lbs instead of the usual 170.
It’s a new feeling for Perry and he absolutely loves it.
“I got to weigh in at 175 and my body really struggled to get to the weight this week (in previous fights) when I usually fought at 170 because I added muscle. I put muscle on and I feel stronger than ever. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity.”
UFC Exit Explained
Surrounding his departure from the UFC, the veteran has a lot to say. Perry had a slump towards the end of his days in the promotion, falling to 3-7 in his last 10 fights. But, he wants to make it loud and clear that he was NOT cut from the roster. He merely decided to explore free agency instead of re-signing with the UFC.
“We’re fighters, we’re prize fighters. We fight people for money to feed our families. I didn’t get cut, I fought my contract out.”
“I thought after my nose broke, I signed a five fight contract after the (Vicente) Luque fight. I guess it was a four or five contract, but I told you I had one more fight on my contract. I guess I still had a headache or something. I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought going into the (Daniel Rodriguez) fight, I had one more fight on my contract and then it turns out I didn’t. So I was a free agent there for a little while.
Looking For A New Home
Perry would score big when it came to finding a new promotion to fight for. He would not be only limited to one, but many different banners he could fight under. In this case, Perry did not find just one home, he found multiple, signing a multi-fight deal with BKFC and another golden opportunity at Triller.
“Behind the scenes, my managers was doing business. I got the best managers in the world. We did business and I signed with Bare Knuckle. I’m really looking forward to doing some standup in there. And especially after I get on this Triller card, I mean, Triller is one of the bigger names that you see on TV. You got UFC, you got beat BKFC, you got Bellator, they all right there.
‘Becoming Bigger Than The UFC’
For ‘Platinum’, it’s not all about the lights, the cameras and the action. It’s about the paychecks. He looks to keep the cashflow coming outside the UFC Octagon.
“And yes, the UFC has the cameras and the production. You gotta become bigger than the UFC if you really want the big chips and the big money.
“The only way to do that is… I always thought about how Pride was, how rampage Jackson went over to Japan. These guys became so big fighting overseas. I did a couple fights overseas. I fought in Uruguay. I fought in England. I fought in Canada and I gained a lot of fans there. Cause it’s the overseas people that really follow. Now I’ve really built myself up and I’m trying to get the Americans together and all I need to do to do that is succeed.
“I fight the best in the world and all I gotta do is show up on Saturday night. Pay-per-view on Triller. Platinum Perry’s going to bust some heads.”
Perry will look to bust heads and more this weekend in Dallas, Texas, when he fights Michael Seals. You can purchase the pay-per-view and watch the action unfold through Fite TV.
