There is no doubt that Mike Perry is the biggest thing in bare knuckle boxing right now, but it appears that he won’t be fighting for a world title any time soon.
Since joining the promotion from the UFC in 2022, the Flint, Michigan native has become a superstar, with even the likes of Conor McGregor and Logan Paul calling for fights with him. Given his status in MMA before the move, it is a remarkable turn of events for ‘Platinum’, who now earns massive money.
However, despite his series of exciting knockout wins over major names, Perry doesn’t seem to be in contention for any of the BKFC belts. He has jumped between divisions from 170lb catchweights to the 185lb cruiserweight limit, and is ranked No.1 at his 175lb middleweight limit.
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Mike Perry stops Thiago Alves within a minute of Knucklemania fight
After taking out former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold with quick-fire TKOs, Perry moved on to a more experienced bare knuckle boxer in Alves. The Brazilian was 2-0 in the sport already, and appeared to be a tougher challenge for the main event of Knucklemania.
But Perry showed off his accuracy and power as he dropped Alves within seconds of their first round, with the bout being waved off shortly after. He then took to the microphone and called for his long-time rival Darren Till to move into the BKFC ‘squared circle’.
The pair have had a famous feud dating back to their days in the UFC, and once even sparred each other as a fight was unable to be booked between them. But even since both leaving the promotion, they have not yet signed to an official bout.
Conor McGregor deletes reaction to Mike Perry after announcing BKFC ownership
Former two-weight UFC world champion Conor McGregor was a key figure in Saturday night’s pay-per-view event, teasing a major announcement ahead of the event. He ultimately confirmed that he is now a part owner of BKFC through his McGregor Sports & Entertainment company.
The Irishman has always had a keen interest in Perry. Famously, he even got into the ring for an impromptu face-off with the American last year after watching him defeat Alvarez, who is a mutual opponent of both.
And among the thousands tweeting about Knucklemania was McGregor, who posted about Perry’s victory in the early hours of Sunday morning. He deleted a number of tweets, one of which read “Platinum with no platinum”. He also tweeted “Another amazing event! “Knucklemania” top to bottom action!”
Mike Perry explains why he can’t fight for BKFC title after five consecutive victories
After being asked about competing for the BKFC title on a number of occasions, Perry detailed how the promotion aren’t offering him that kind of fight. He is more of a marquee name, and would need to take a step down in terms of notoriety in order to face the likes of Lorenzo Hunt or David Mundell.
“First of all they won’t offer me the championship fight,” he explained. “They don’t want me to hold up the division while they wait for, what, celebrities to come fight me. So they don’t want me to hold everything up.
“They don’t even offer it to me so you’re not an option. And if you are and they call, then I say ‘yeah’. But they talk that s*** when the cameras are there but then when I come into the hotel lobby it’s ‘oh I’m trying to get paid man’, that’s what they say.
“But then be worth it, who’s the last person you fought? I don’t know their name! Who’s the last win you had? I don’t know, no one knows and that is the problem. Make something happen, that’s what I did. You can’t do it like me.”