Bare knuckle boxing’s biggest star Mike Perry could be set to make his way back to MMA sooner than later as he continues to build a big crossover bout.
Perry hasn’t competed in the cage since leaving the UFC in 2021, instead taking his talents to BKFC where he has gone 5-0. In the following three years, he has emerged as one of combat sport’s most unlikely superstars, and is now one of the hottest prospects on the market.
But he may be on his way back into cage for one more run at MMA, with his current BKFC deal allowing for him to pursue other opportunities outside of their ring. He just defeated Thiago Alves to send the Brazilian into retirement, and now is calling for a fight with one of the sport’s most controversial figures.
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Mike Perry threatens to ‘strangle’ Dillon Danis in MMA fight callout
After initially calling for a fight in the BKFC ring, controversial jiu-jitsu black belt Dillon Danis is now re-angling his terms for a fight with Perry. The pair have gone back-and-forth in recent weeks, with the most recent jab coming from the bare knuckle brawler.
“Yo Dillon Danis,” he tweeted to his 238,000+ followers. “ima beat yo a**.” Danis then tweeted-and-deleted a message that read “This isn’t the Bikini Bottom Bare Knuckle Championship, kid. In a real fight you’re strangled dead within a round.”
Perry first responded by saying on his Instagram story “Not if I strangle you first”. He has since taken a further shot at Danis by sharing a photo of the fighter during his boxing match with Logan Paul captioned: “Dillon Danis was the first pro fighter to lose a fight to a WWE wrestler.”
Mike Perry vs Dillon Danis almost happened on Misfits Boxing
The feud between Perry and Danis was very nearly solved back in October when the pair appeared The Misfits Boxing Prime Card in Manchester. Infamously, the jiu-jitsu star boxed Paul that night, losing by disqualification in a farcical showing.
But Perry was also tangentially involved; being flown to the fight and all promotional events as the official backup fighter. He even made weight and was sanctioned for fight night presuming either fighter opted not to compete.
There were serious concerns that Danis, who at the time had never boxed and hadn’t fought MMA in four years, would pull out of the event. He had controversially skipped a January bout with KSI that was scheduled for Wembley Arena, but he did in fact fight Paul almost to the final bell.
However, it was almost Danis vs Perry as a physical altercation at the final press conference during fight week saw Paul cut with a microphone as the pair threw items at each other. The pair even faced off for a photo opportunity, although the initially planned out ultimately went ahead.