Mike Perry is planning to play spoiler in a big way when he gets his shot at Jake Paul in the ring next month.
The pair have had a long-standing feud dating back to a sparring session when the YouTube star was a young pro. There is footage of Perry telling Paul that he ‘kicked my a**’, but he has since claimed that it was a much more even session and that he caused his rival problems.
Either way, they will settle it in the ring under professional boxing rules on July 20 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Paul is still expected to face Mike Tyson in November, and is risking a massive deal with Netflix against the unbeaten bare knuckle boxer.
Mike Perry warns Jake Paul he is going to make him take a knee in grudge fight
Jake Paul is being made a slight favourite against Mike Perry given his previous wins over MMA champions. He also has a considerable size advantage and more experience in professional boxing, with his rival primarily known for bare knuckle.
But Perry has vowed to ‘pummel’ the social media sensation, telling fans on his Overdogs podcast: “Maybe I’ll still be passionate after I beat on Jake, I want to TKO him or knock him out or just pummel him so bad in the corner.
“I’ll put so much pressure on him that he just has to take a knee and he’s like ‘damn, what am I going to do?’ We’ll keep putting it on him and put the hooks on him and then get on that microphone and be p***ed off.
“Or I’ll be tired in the seventh or eight round and get that microphone and be like ‘hey man, thank you everybody for coming out’. I think about it all the time ‘what am I going to say to the people after I win?’ That’s what I think about all the time.”
Mike Perry admits he is proud of himself for earning pay-per-view headliner with Jake Paul
The road from UFC journeyman to one of combat sport’s most notable names has been a fascinating one for Perry. After leaving the MMA promotion with four losses in his last five fights, the Michigan native has not yet tasted defeat.
He has landed stunning wins over the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold in the BKFC squared circle, and is now set for one of the biggest boxing matches of the year against Paul. “I think it’s well deserved,” he said during that same podcast.
“I think I’ve earned this and I think I deserve it and I’m proud of that of myself. There’s work to be done, I have a lot of work to do, push-ups and miles to run and I’ve got to get this work in. Lots of sparring rounds to do.
“I just take it a day at a time and all glory to God, he gives me the strength to wake up every day and get stronger. Whatever that means, I forgot to ask Jake if he’s a religious man, but that’s okay.
“I don’t want to have a reason to like him. I want to hurt him, I don’t hate him but my game plan right now is to put that pain on him.”