After bursting onto the UFC’s roster with two straight sensational knockouts and then struggling inside the Octagon, the polarizing Mike Perry again finds himself in the spotlight.
Perry (13-4) had won his first nine pro MMA bouts by knockout and eventually was 4-1 inside the Octagon, with all of his wins coming via highlight-reel KO. But “Platinum” didn’t progress that much as a mixed martial artist and soon his opponents figured him out. The Flint, Mich., native saw himself out of title contention and looking at a 1-3 record in his last four fights, his most recent setback a first-round loss via armbar to Donald Cerrone.
Perry knew he had to regroup and refocus his approach to fighting spent several months healing his body and mind. But when it came time to step into the cage again, “Platinum” knew he had to not only put on a thrilling performance, he had to win. On Saturday in one of the featured bouts of UFC Fight Night 150, Perry opposed another fan favorite in Alex Oliveira and, as expected, the two welterweights put on a show.
“I felt great coming into this fight,” Perry said after he walked out of the cage with a unanimous decision win. “I wanted to deliver an exciting fight and that’s what we did. That’s all I can hope for. I’m in this business to be entertaining and put on great fights, get people screaming and jumping out of their seats, and it sounds like that’s what they did.”
Perry knows he won’t be landing a crack at the UFC’s 170-pound title anytime soon, but if he continues to build upon this most recent win and he takes out some big names, he’ll once again be in the thick of things at welterweight. After his conquest of “Cowboy,” though, Perry didn’t pull his punches in terms of whom he’d like to next lock horns with.
“I heard Darren Till got himself into a little trouble there,” he stated. “I’m trying to make a jump in the rankings system. I’m trying to get my hands on Colby Covington. These guys fight once a year, it seems like. I’m fighting so many dang times, I can’t even keep count. That’s 18 in the past four years. Let’s get it baby. Nineteen coming soon.”
Perry is the rare breed of fighter who not only brings the heat every time out, but he wants to fight as often as possible. However, “Platinum” said he will likely have to rest for a little bit before coming back to try and knock some dude’s block off.
“I dropped a couple of names in the Octagon, but it’s going to take me some time to heal,” he said. “I hurt my legs kicking him. I’ve got to be able to walk before I can run. And once I can run, then we’ll get back to the drawing board and see how it’s going.”