Former UFC fighter Mike Perry has had many naysayers who have doubted his ability over the years. The fighter who had a significant run in the UFC welterweight division left his UFC career in 2021 to begin anew in BKFC.
Although the fighter never achieved real success during his UFC run, his transition to bare-knuckle boxing has been a hit. Since his debut in 2022, Perry defeated Ultimate Fighter participant Julian Lane and went on to dominate notable fighters like UFC champions Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez and Bellator veteran Michael Page.
Since then, the fighter has been on a winning streak that has led him all the way to his battle with Jake Paul, though he would have to move up to 200 pounds to battle Paul. Promoters like Eddie Hearn still do not see Perry as a noteworthy opponent despite his successes and victories.
In a recent interview, Hearn was asked by The MMA Hour about his opinion on the fight.
“I’ve never seen Mike Perry fight, isn’t he a welterweight or something? Two hundred pounds? He’s got absolutely no chance.”
Perry may have had a recent impressive record, but Jake Paul is also a formidable opponent to go against. The boxer has gone up against opponents like Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren. Although Hearn may support Paul, the two have a rocky history.
Both athletes collaborated to promote a matchup between Amanda Serrano [Paul’s Promotion fighter] and Katie Taylor [Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing fighter]. However, the two soon fell off after Paul accused Hearn of fixing the result, to which he responded with a defamation lawsuit against Paul.
Despite this bad blood between them, the two fighters put aside the drama after bumping into each other in Puerto Rico in preparation for the Liam Paro vs. Subriel Matias fight.
“I was having dinner in the hotel that I was staying at, it’s actually where he lives on the report,” Hearn said. “I was just having dinner and I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around it was Jake. It was alright, he seemed quite pleasant. Just had a little chat, I said you’re welcome to the show tomorrow, and that was it, really. …We’ve still got issues, but I’m always open for a chat.”
Notwithstanding their issues, Hearn supports Paul winning the fight due to size advantage and experience.
