Perhaps no fighter in recent years has burst onto the UFC scene quite as violently as ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry. In his last outing against former top contender Jake Ellenberger, Perry connected with a short right elbow that shut Ellenberger’s lights off before his stiffened body bounced off the canvas.
The Flint, Michigan, native has also come to be known for his actions on weigh in day. In his UFC debut, Perry faked a handshake with his opponent Hyun Gyu Lim, only to pull his hand back and shout at Lim “You thought you had a friend.”
Whether he’s getting inside his adversaries’ head a day before the fight, or knocking his opponents out cold, one thing is for sure, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry is a serious threat to anyone in the welterweight division.
“PMP Baby”
Cageside Press recently caught up with the welterweight rising star just after he purchased his new home. In between bites of his Kentucky Fried Chicken, Perry was more than happy to share some of his thoughts on his upcoming bout with Thiago Alves, Jon Jones, and more.
As I quickly found out, don’t mess up the order in which you say Perry’s full name including nickname, “It’s ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry, PMP baby,” Perry quickly corrected me. My bad, I will never introduce him as Mike ‘Platinum’ Perry ever again.
Perry would let me know, “It’s all good though.”
The power that ‘Platinum’ has displayed in the octagon is nothing short of remarkable, I was curious if he was born with that explosiveness. “Yea, definitely that’s all natural,” Perry said.
“I want a 20 second knock out”
Alves is no slouch, having challenged for a UFC title himself in years past. On paper, this fight screams violent ending, “I’m gonna come out and put it on him [Alves] right away” Perry assured me.
“I want a twenty second knock out, I know ya’ll gonna be upset but I got to do what I got to do. I’m gonna finish it like the Conor and Aldo fight.”
Perry is a fighter that likes to stay busy, he doesn’t care for long layoffs in-between fights, “I’ve only fought one time this year, they’re [UFC] holding me back,” he said jokingly.
The only blemish on Perry’s record is to Alan Jouban from UFC FOX 22 back in December of last year. Most competitors obsess about getting even with someone who has bested them, but not Perry.
“I came back after that fight in tremendous fashion, he got TKO’ed, he has to earn it. He’s [Jouban] about to fight Niko Price, I think Niko is going to take him down and put his weight on him.”
“Robbie Lawler, that’s a good fight for me”
As to who ‘Platinum’ would like to face next, “I want to fight the best, I’m here to fight the winners,” Perry stated. “I know no one wants to go rounds with me, I can end the fight at any given time, it’s just a matter if I get my hands on you.”
I must admit, Perry knows how to pick the winners of fights. He successfully said Jon Jones, Tyron Woodley, and Robbie Lawler would all win at UFC 214. He even added Woodley would win easily.
When Lawler’s name got brought up, Perry let it be known, “Robbie Lawler, that would be a good fight for me.” I couldn’t agree more.
The Michigan man wanted to make one final thing crystal clear, “I’m sitting here thinking about what kind of violent things I’m going to do to Alves to better my life.”
That’s a scary thought indeed.
“Platinum’ Mike Perry takes on Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 116 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 16.
