Mike Perry’s thought was that he didn’t want to end up like fighters who get a violent surprise during a staredown. So he brought a little something to make his potential assailants — including rival opponent Julian Lane — behave at the BKFC Knucklemania 2 press conference.
” “I don’t know what security will be,” Perry stated Monday at The MMA Hour . “Sometimes, you see these organizations, some fighters expect the guy standing in the middle of them to break them up, and then one gets kicked in the face and they’re like, ‘Why didn’t you step in?’ No, I’m protecting myself.
I have to look out for myself and those around me.
A Louisville Slugger, his protection was not. Perry’s wiffle ball bat, which he hid in his pants on Thursday night was more appropriate for playing a pick-up game than the purpose of bludgeoning someone. But it was something, especially in a volatile situation with a wild man like Lane.
” “It’s unfair outside of the ring,” Perry stated. We ain’t fighting fair. A plastic whiffleball bat was all I needed. If that’s really a handicap, you’ll be alright. You’re going to get a little smack to the face with it, no problem.”
Lane had previously surprised Perry at BKFC’s commentary table in December. This triggered a short melee which set up Saturday’s brawl in Florida.
“Nobody knew I had it on me,” Perry said. It was hilarious to me thinking of it as “I have this bat boy.” I’ll pull it out and get three feet of reach on your ass real quick.'”
After a short skirmish during the presser,
Coolerheads prevailed and Perry and Lane proceeded to the main event, which was a five round fight that ended in a bloody wreck. Perry won the split decision against Lane in his first bare-knuckle bout and set himself up for a fight with Thiago Alves, the champion middleweight.
All the animosity leading up to the fight didn’t completely squash the beef for Perry. But he’s got other things to think about.
” We can fight again,” Perry stated about Lane. Perry said of Lane, “But I want to take advantage of my chances first. It was a learning experience. I’ve got some ideas of what I can work on to be better. But that was the ex-title challenger, the last one to fight for the title. It was me who came out on top.
” I called the champ. It sounds like he would love to. Although there are a few people that might disagree, who have they fought before? It makes perfect sense that I have fought the title challenger before. And stylistically, I have a good game plan for how I would go get the belt.”
Perry stated that he is “on paperwork” at BKFC, and is ready to continue his career or accept any lucrative offer. He said he makes twice as much with promotion than he did in the UFC. All he has to do is heal a left hand that certainly looks broken.
“I was hitting [Lane] right with the center of the knuckle, like I practiced,” he said. “I was even trying to break through the hardest part of the head. I think about the [Michael ‘Venom’ Page] knee, when he hit that guy, and all [his facial bones] broke right here [on the forehead]. Maybe my hands were too heavy to resist that .”
An X-ray will determine the extent of the damage, but after experiencing the shock of hitting an opponent in the ring with bare fists, he said he’ll return with a better performance.
“I know they saw me in the ring and other opponents might think that they have an idea of what it might be like, but I’m going to be 100 times better next time I step in there,” Perry said.
