** Huge Announcement ** Michael ‘Venom’ Page
will be facing Mike Perry in the main event at
#BKFC27 on Aug 20th! https://t.co/HLL6nJaKgl
▶️Pre-Sale Ticket Signup: https://t.co/B9CKDdozj8 pic.twitter.com/XKrkrfAWVE— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc)
June 9, 2022
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Editor’s note: The article has been updated at 4:45 p.m. ET on
June 9 to add a statement from the promoter.
It appears Michael
Page is taking his recent loss in Bellator MMA for the title a little harder than anyone
expected.
On Thursday, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship announced
the main event of its jaunt to London on Aug. 20. The fight card at
the OVO Arena Wembley will be capped off by a middleweight (175
pounds) tilt between Page and Mike Perry.
Both men longtime MMA veterans, this match will be contested under
bare-knuckle boxing rules over five rounds, each two minutes in
length. Per MMA
Junkie, Page has not been released nor fought out of his
Bellator contract, and rather that this is a one-off
arrangement.
Over the course of @MichaelPage247’s
18-fight career at @BellatorMMA,
we’ve allowed Michael to challenge himself outside our cage in
professional boxing. We wish him luck in this match as he resets
for another run at the Bellator title.— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker)
June 9, 2022
Bellator head Scott Coker confirmed
this in a statement on Twitter shortly after the announcement,
saying: “Over the course of Michael Page’s 18-fight career at
Bellator, we’ve allowed Michael to challenge himself outside our
cage in professional boxing. We wish him luck in this match as he
resets for another run at the Bellator title.”
Page last competed in May, where he fell short to Logan
Storley in a contentious split decision that
ranged with scorecards from 50-45 for Storley to 49-46 for Page
across scoring media members. That loss snapped a six-fight win
streak that included four knockouts, as well “MVP” avenging his
lone career defeat by taking a decision over Douglas
Lima in October 2021. Page reportedly sought out a boxing match
for the summer, and his promotion allowed him to join the BKFC
ranks for this show instead. In addition to his 22-bout MMA career,
Page is a 2-0 pro boxer and has one win as a kickboxer as well.
“Platinum” Perry made his own BKFC debut in February, where he
snagged a decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Seasons 16 and 25
competitor Julian Lane.
Before joining BKFC, Perry competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 15 times,
leaving the organization with a 7-8 record that included four
knockout wins. Prior to his time in the UFC, Perry fought once as a
professional boxer, losing by fourth-round knockout to Kenneth
McNeil.
BKFC 27 will serve as the bare-knuckle league’s first foray to
England when it comes to London on Aug. 20. The OVO Arena Wembley
will play host to a fight card that will capped off by the
Page-Perry battle, and it is not the only fight currently scheduled
for the evening. At welterweight (165 pounds), Britain’s Connor
Tierney squares off with Joe Elmore in
search of an elusive title shot at Elvin Brito’s throne.
Additionally, in the heavyweight category, Mick Terrill represents
the U.K. against former title challenger Sam Shewmaker.