Mike Perry has duked it out with many big punchers during his eventful combat sports career.
‘Platinum’ has showcased his granite chin in boxing, bare-knuckle boxing, and MMA, where he made his name as an up-and-coming welterweight prospect.
Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Eddie Alvarez, and Luke Rockhold are just some of the high-profile fighters he has traded blows with.
However, many people will remember Mike Perry as the man who stepped in on short notice to box Jake Paul last July.
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Mike Perry names his hardest-hitting opponent
Paul made his size and full camp pay as he dropped Perry three times en route to a sixth-round TKO win, which set up his historic clash with boxing legend Mike Tyson.
Despite being on the end of a bloody beating from ‘The Problem Child, Perry didn’t hesitate to name someone else as the hardest-hitting opponent he’s ever fought.
The 33-year-old was only knocked out once during his 22-fight MMA career, and that was when he fought 170lb UFC contender Geoff Neal in December 2019.
‘Handz of Steel’ caught Perry with a picture-perfect head kick before closing the show within 90 seconds when they met at UFC 245.
Mike Perry recalls Geoff Neal fight
It’s a shot that has sticks in the mind of the wacky American all these years later.
“I mean, I guess the hardest I’ve ever been hit was probably Geoff Neal kicking me in the face,” he told talkSPORT.com.
“He then followed up with some more punches and kicks to the face.
“It was that kick. I remember that kick. When he kicked me everything went black and white and it was like a dream.
“I saw him and I was like, ‘F— that’ and I kept moving and I tried to get out of the way and he followed me across the ring and hit me a few more times.
“And then next thing I know, I was in the back and I was like, ‘I am ready, I was like damn, I’m so ready. Let’s, let’s go’.
“And my team’s like, ‘It’s over man’ and I went ballistic
“I was like, ‘No f—— way, I’ve got so much energy. I’m so ready’. And it was over.
So Geoff kicking me, landing that kick on my face, that was probably the hardest I’ve been hit. It was a good kick.”