This Saturday (July 20, 2024), Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) “King of Violence,” Mike Perry, laces up the gloves to challenge “Problem Child,” Jake Paul, in an eight-round boxing match from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Perry left the UFC in 2021 on a bad and ill-disciplined skid, behind on his taxes and without a clear next step forward. Fortunately, Perry took to bare knuckle boxing like a fish to water, rising up the ranks and growing from underground fan favorite to genuine star. He’s undefeated (6-0) since getting cut from the UFC roster, and it’s highly apparent that Perry has come into his own and entered his prime.
Now, Perry puts on boxing gloves again for the first time since 2015. He’ll face a significant size disadvantage and give up his usual bare knuckle edge, but Perry can certainly be trusted to bring the fight.
Let’s take a closer look at Perry’s boxing skill:
Boxing
Perry is a savage, but he’s not without strategy or form. For some context, this section will review Perry’s approach to boxing outside of the UFC, meaning only his BKFC and Triad Combat bouts will be considered.
Those matches are our best insight into his performance against Paul.
Regardless of height and reach disadvantage or advantage, Perry wants the pocket. Case in point: he closed distance on both Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold despite the vast size differences involved. Once actually in close quarters, Perry tends to move his head reasonably well.
Perry is known for walking through shots, and that reputation comes from his inability to close the distance with movement. As he marches forward, Perry does not move his head very well. He stands too tall, particularly by boxing standards, which means his upright head is an easy target for weaving hooks and intercepting straight punches.
That said, Perry does have effective distance offense in his own right. Perry can throw a stiff jab, and he’ll make sure to jab with any opponent trying to keep him away. He’ll also occasionally lead with the right straight then shift into Southpaw with a big swing, which is a very MMA tactic.
One of Perry’s best distance tactics is attacking off the inside slip. Drawing a jab from his opponent either with pressure or his own jab, Perry will look to slip inside the punch and over his lead knee. The overhand right is a natural pairing with the inside slip and thrown simultaneously can really punish the jab. However, Perry also explodes off this loaded lead leg with both the left uppercut and left hook. Opposite the movement and range of men like Michael Page and Michael Seals, for example, the inside slip into left hook/uppercut produced some of Perry’s best connections.
A big shift in Perry’s tactics since leaving the UFC has involved more body work. He was very much a head-hunter in the Octagon, but he’s consistently worked to tear up his opponent’s body. If able to gain the clinch, he’ll commonly hammer away at the bread basket, but Perry will also use his body shots to close distance in the first place. As he steps forward, he’ll dip his head off to the side with either the left or right hook downstairs.
Notably, Perry really shredded Luke Rockhold’s ribs. That’s the most drastic height and reach disadvantage he’s faced, and “Platinum” made up for it with leaping hooks upstairs and lunging shots. Any time Rockhold hit the ropes, however, Perry would squat down and try to break his ribs.
Rockhold didn’t like it one bit.
In Perry’s last appearance, he smoked Thiago Alves with a slick combination. Slipping inside, he first went to the body with a left. Then, he slipped again to reload his weight before going upstairs with another left hook, sparking the former title contender in just one minute.
Conclusion
Mike Perry’s success in BKFC has never been complicated. His boxing overall is straightforward. What separates Perry from the pack is his ability to dig deep, endure punishment, and throw knockout punches with both hands. Perry is an absolute dog still at his peak, and we’ve never seen Paul in the ring with anyone quite like him.
Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, is a professional fighter who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In addition to learning alongside world-class talent, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed winning strategies for several of the sport’s most elite fighters.
