Conor McGregor says Mike Perry will face a former UFC fighter in his BKFC return.
BKFC made many headlines at their Champions Summit press conference on Thursday with part-owner Conor McGregor hosting 14 champions onstage. McGregor announced a $25M open-weight tournament featuring 32 fighters as well as the signings of multiple UFC veterans.
McGregor was caught in the middle of a press conference brawl between the face of the BKFC, Mike Perry, and welterweight champion David Mundell.
While Perry ended up facing off with the defending champion, it looks like McGregor and co. may have other plans for ‘Platinum’. McGregor told Perry at the press conference he’d be fighting a fellow UFC veteran in his return on Oct. 11, which would mean no title fight with Mundell.
“Oct. 11… One of the baddest man to ever grace the Ultimate Fighting Championship comes to Bareknuckle and he’s going to throw down with you,” McGregor said to Perry.
Who’s Perry’s mystery UFC opponent? Bloody Elbow ranks the top 3 fights for ‘The King of Violence’.
3. Jeremy Stephens
Earlier this year, there was new intrigue in a potential fight between Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens.
Stephens faced off with Conor McGregor after breaking the jaw of common opponent, former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at KnuckleMania in January. On the same night, Stephens expressed interest in a more realistic fight with Perry for his ‘King of Violence’ title.
Stephens is a perfect 3-0 in the BKFC but is coming off a UFC loss to Mason Jones in May. Stephens has revealed his UFC deal was one fight only, so a BKFC return may be imminent for a fighter as violent as Stephens.
‘Lil Heathen’ is tied with former foe Charles Oliveira for sixth-most appearances under the UFC banner and holds the record for most losses, having shared the Octagon with the likes of Max Holloway, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, Rafael Dos Anjos and more.
Stephens proclaimed himself the UFC’s hardest hitting featherweight in 2016.
2. Yoel Romero
Former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero is one of the baddest fighters to never have won a UFC title.
Romero made a name for himself in the premier promotion by knocking out former champions such as Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, and Lyoto Machida.
Romero came up just short in his title fights against then-champions Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.
At 48, Romero proves age is just a number by knocking out opponents left and right in Bellator and most recently Dirty Boxing, which is Perry’s promotion.
If the stars (and weight classes) align, Romero could be fighting his boss Perry in the Squared Circle.
1. Robbie Lawler
“Everybody wants to see me beat up Robbie Lawler.”
It was in 2017 when Perry first called out the former UFC Welterweight Champion for a fight in the Octagon. Three years later, Lawler vs. Perry was finally booked for UFC 255.
However, the matchup never took place as Robbie Lawler withdrew from the bout due to an injury and the UFC moved on.
After several months of talks with the BKFC, the 43-year-old Lawler could be coming out of retirement for a fight with Perry to determine who the real ‘King of Violence’ is.
Lawler is considered one of the most vicious and violent fighters in UFC history for his back-to-back ‘fight of the years’ against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit in 2015 and 2016.
Lawler has close to 50 fights in MMA. The UFC Hall of Famer hasn’t fought since a fairy tale ending in his retirement fight—a vintage first-round knockout of Niko Price at UFC 290 in 2023.