For the second time in 2023, Mike Perry is preparing to serve as a backup just in case an opponent fails to show up to face one of the Paul brothers.
Back in February, the UFC veteran and current BKFC star was a potential replacement for Tommy Fury in his matchup against Jake Paul. Now Perry is getting ready for the chance to possibly face Logan Paul if Dillon Danis pulls out ahead of their matchup on Oct. 14.
According to Perry, he’s apparently always been on the Paul brothers’ radar, although neither one of them has been willing to just sign for a fight against him so for now he’ll just keep playing the backup role.
“I just think they’ve had their eye on me for a little while as far as my fighting style, as far as my trash talk,” Perry told MMA Fighting. “I’ve said a couple of things about them I guess. I’ve seen them around here and there. I’ve sparred Jake.
“Jake used my name as the backup fighter for him and Tommy [Fury] but then he didn’t pay me. I believe Logan is going to do those things because they flew me out [to the press conference], that wasn’t for nothing. I keep it professional. I am a professional. I’m not green up on stage asking for attention. I do this for real.”
The pre-fight press conference in London that Perry attended turned so volatile that Paul and Danis couldn’t even stand near each other long enough for a customary faceoff. Instead, Perry hopped on stage and did his own staredown with Paul, which left Danis irate afterwards.
Part of the reason Perry was contacted about serving as the backup fighter was due to Danis’ inactivity with his last fight coming in 2019 as well as pulling out of his scheduled boxing match with KSI back in January. While there’s supposedly a clause in Danis’ contract that he has to pay a $100,000 fine if he drops out of the fight, Perry is still staying ready just in case he backs out.
“I have seen a couple of excuses implemented into things that he’s said,” Perry said about Danis. “He is quite good at posting trash talk on social media. I guess Logan’s girl made that kind of easy, she’s got those videos out there. I just know if someone did that to me, I’d be upset and I’d be having to f****** try to fight them any chance I got. I understand there was security that wouldn’t even let them get close on stage. I just would focus on my opponent, things I could say about him, I would tell the truth.
“I don’t know Dillon. I don’t know how this situation’s going to be. I just plan to be prepared to fight on that night. I’ll be ready. I am ready.”
As far as Logan Paul goes, Perry isn’t exactly sure what kind of a boxer he might face because the 28-year-old Ohio native has only engaged in three fights and two came against KSI. The third was an exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather that went eight rounds, although Paul dwarfed his much smaller opponent in both height and weight.
Perry, who boasts 12 knockouts across 17 fights in MMA and bare-knuckle, would be giving up some size to Paul as well but not nearly as much — and he knows he packs a harder punch that Mayweather.
“He fought Floyd but Floyd is a lot smaller than I am,” Perry commented. “Floyd may be a lot faster than I am, but I’m a real challenge. I’m a real danger to him. I think if Dillon Danis doesn’t show and I end up fighting him, I change people. They change after they fight me. They’re a different man after they fight me.
“A lot of the guys that I have fought, they have changed for the better. They became stronger but I’m sure I knock a couple screws loose. I might knock a couple loose on Logan. I plan to stop him if I’m the one fighting him.”
Lately, Perry has been engaging in bare-knuckle fights including his win over ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold as well as a victory against Bellator star Michael “Venom” Page.
While he hasn’t spent much time in the boxing ring, Perry actually believes he might hit even harder there, especially with far less risk to break his hands with no protection whatsoever in BKFC and only four-ounce gloves in MMA.
“I’m throwing nuclear bombs with 10-ounce gloves on,” Perry said. “I hit your head, you know that little emoji with the head blowing up? That’s what’s going to happen.”
Based on the current betting odds, Paul is actually a heavy favorite to beat Danis but he would be an underdog against a veteran like Perry.
That’s not lost on Perry, who isn’t totally convinced that Paul would stick around to fight him even if Danis drops out prior to Oct. 14.
“Who knows? Maybe Logan has a backup for his backup,” Perry said. “Maybe he’s like ‘If Dillon pulls out then I’ll pull out and we’ll have this fighter fight Mike Perry for the co-main event.’ Maybe it will be me and Anthony Taylor. Who knows.
“It’s weird. It’s like they’re trying to keep my head open to preparing for a fight and preparing to fight on this date on this time but they can’t lock anything in. It can’t be guaranteed. I just have to stay ready like I always have.”
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