Mike Perry teases Eddie Alvarez as potential next bare-knuckle foe: 'I'll gladly send him into retirement'

24/09/2023 16:00

Mike Perry needed just three fights to become the face of the BKFC, but after inking a lucrative new contract to stay with the promotion, he has even bigger plans for the future.

While he's currently training as a backup for the boxing match between Logan Paul and Dillon Danis on Oct. 14, the 31-year-old knockout artist has already begun conversations with BKFC about his next fight. Nothing has been officially offered or signed, but Perry has his sights set on at least one potential opponent: Ex-UFC champion Eddie Alvarez.

"I heard that they're talking about November-December against a possible [opponent]," Perry teased when speaking to MMA Fighting. "I don't know if I should say it, I don't want to get in trouble. Maybe it was my last co-main event. That's easy work for me. Cut the check and cut his neck."

Alvarez made his bare-knuckle fighting debut back in April with a win over Chad Mendes as the co-headliner on the same card where Perry finished former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in the main event.

Since that time, Alvarez has stated that he intends to compete in bare-knuckle fighting again, and Perry is likely the biggest name available as a potential opponent.

Perry admits fighting Alvarez would probably require some sacrifice on his part after most recently competing at 185 pounds, but he can't deny the magnitude of that possible matchup. To add to that, Perry heard Alvarez was also on board with the idea, so the matchmakers' job might already be done.

"I'd have to cut a little bit of weight," Perry said. "That fight with Rockhold was at 185. I really enjoyed the power that I built up over training, eating, lifting weights and really putting on some weight and not cutting as much. I felt very powerful. Obviously at 185 there might be a possibility that some guys are taller, longer, stronger, cut more weight. I mean Luke was in the ring at 205. I was 190. He still had 15 pounds on me.

"I don't know if I was at peak performance, but if I meet him at a fair weight, I heard he's interested. He must have some chip on his shoulder. I'll gladly send him into retirement."

With a career spanning the past two decades and stops in the UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship, Alvarez jumped right into the fire after signing with BKFC. He ultimately battled to a split decision win over Mendes in a bloody back-and-forth war over five rounds.

It was an impressive performance considering Alvarez had never fought bare-knuckle previously, although Perry promises a rude awakening if they clash in the Philadelphia native's sophomore effort.

"Eddie looked bigger than Chad," Perry said. "Chad being the shorter fighter, maybe he had some angles that Eddie wasn't ready for to fight someone smaller. He's probably usually the smaller guy.

"He did look bigger than Chad, so maybe he wants to eat three or four times a day, pump some iron and come up in size a little bit to meet me in the middle; or if he wanted to come 185, we can do that. But if he doesn't, maybe 175 — I'll go back, I'll knock him out."

Since first signing with BKFC, Perry starred in two of the most memorable fights in the promotion's history: His fight against Rockhold as well as his fight against Bellator star Michael "Venom" Page in London.

Fighting Alvarez would add another legendary name to Perry's résumé, but even if that fight doesn't happen, he's confident BKFC will find him someone else worth his time — and there's a good chance no one will see it coming.

"I love the shocking factor," Perry said. "We're here to shock the world. BKFC really wants to entertain and they want to blow people's minds."