BKFC has a huge main event coming in October but the matchup wasn’t the original plan.
Ever since the promotion’s recent press conference, there has been speculation as to who Mike Perry will face in his return at BKFC 82 on October 4.
‘Platinum’ has become the face of the promotion in recent years with several bouts against former UFC stars helping to build his profile significantly.
While two of Perry’s former rivals, Luke Rockhold and Darren Till, are set to meet in an upcoming boxing match, there were several names, including ‘The Gorilla’, who were being linked with the BKFC star, with the promotion’s president recently providing more context.
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David Feldman says Robbie Lawler and Darren Till were both options for Mike Perry’s next fight before Jeremy Stephens was selected
During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, BKFC president David Feldman announced that Mike Perry will face former UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens in the main event of BKFC 82.
‘Lil Heathen’ last appeared in the promotion in January, where he stopped Eddie Alvarez, before making a one-fight return to the Octagon.
During the interview, Feldman was asked about whether there was any chance of Perry facing UFC legend Robbie Lawler, who would’ve been a big signing.
He responded by stating that while there were conversations, they weren’t able to seriously consider bringing ‘Ruthless’ in.
“He’s still under contract with the UFC and we just weren’t able to work that out. That’s really all there is to that at all. There was nothing else to that. It’s their fighter and we thought they were going to release him to us and it was just a little difficult to get that done.”
Feldman was then asked whether Stephens was the next in line, which led to him then revealing that Darren Till was the original opponent in mind for Perry’s next outing.
Unfortunately for BKFC, Till’s upcoming fight with Luke Rockhold in Misfits made this option unavailable.
“Prior to Robbie was Darren Till. We were in talks with Darren Till, trying to get the Darren Till fight done and then he had a fight come up… We couldn’t get it done so we chose Jeremy Stephens, who I think was the next viable candidate.”
David Feldman answers whether we’ll ever see Robbie Lawler or Darren Till in BKFC at a later date
While Jeremy Stephens is the next man in line to face Mike Perry, there’s no denying that signing Robbie Lawler or Darren Till would’ve been a huge move for the promotion.
David Feldman said that while Lawler was great to deal with when there were talks, his current status with the UFC makes it hard to imagine him ever making the switch to BKFC.
“We’ll see. I mean listen, he’s been fantastic, his team’s been fantastic but it was tough to get the deal done and I don’t know if we’ll ever get that deal done. He just got inducted into the Hall of Fame again so I think he’s going to ride off into the sunset.”
Feldman also answered whether Till could appear further down the line, replying that he has some reservations about whether the former UFC star is a good fit for BKFC.
“I offered him more money than he’s ever made in his life and I just don’t know if he wants to take the gloves off or not, I don’t know what it is. Obviously the guy can fight but I don’t know if this sport is going to be for him or not. We were in deep, deep talks and it was actually about to get signed and it just never worked out so I don’t know.”