Mike Perry always prepares for war, especially since he’s turned his focus towards a full-time career in bare-knuckle fighting, but that’s not the battle he wants with ex-UFC champion Eddie Alvarez.
With a perfect 3-0 record since joining the BKFC roster, Perry has engaged in some legendary contests including his clash with Bellator veteran Michael “Venom” Page that required a sudden death sixth round to decide the fight as well as his most recent outing where he gave up considerable size before finishing Luke Rockhold inside two rounds.
Expectations are high that Perry will produce another instant classic with Alvarez as they compete for the “King of Violence” title at BKFC 56 this Saturday in Salt Lake City, but he actually has other ideas in mind.
“I’ve been thinking about it — on one side, I’m like how does this little guy think he’s even going to have a chance in there with me?” Perry said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “But it never matters. I believe if God puts someone across from me, you’ve got to watch out. They’ve got a chance, too. I’m going to be looking to be perfect in there and touch him, hurt him good with every shot that I hit him with. I’m going to make it count. I’m going to make a point with the way I’m going after him.
“I’m saying I want this to be it for him. I want to be the one that he fights last. I want to end it for him and show him the door. That means I’ve got to really go after him and I’ve got to put the pain on him and make him feel it. I want to knock him unconscious in front of the crowd and give the people the show they want to see.”
At 39, Alvarez has already accomplished more than most fighters ever will. He’s claimed titles in the UFC and Bellator with a remarkable finishing rate including 24 of his 30 wins ending by knockout or submission.
Thanks to his legendary toughness and willingness to stand toe-to-toe with anybody, Alvarez often finds himself nominated as a potential Fight of the Year candidate, especially after some of his most memorable battles against opponents like Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Perry appreciates all the accolades and accomplishments that Alvarez has on his record, which only raises the stakes for their fight, although he wishes he got to “The Underground King” a little earlier in his career.
“It’s a nice plus because he’s been a champion in three different organizations but I kind of feel like he’s sloppy seconds for me,” Perry explained. “Because Conor [McGregor] already did it to him. I’ve just got to repeat it. I’ve got to do that same thing to him.
“I’m going to put that pressure on him, punch him in the face and knock him down. I don’t know how many times he’s going to get up. We’ll see.”
Unlike his past two opponents in BKFC, Perry doesn’t face any obvious physical disadvantages against Alvarez because he’ll be the bigger, stronger fighter with the bout taking place at 175 pounds. Alvarez spent the majority of his career competing at 155 pounds.
The current betting lines have Perry listed as a 3-to-1 favorite to beat Alvarez, which might ratchet up the pressure on him to make this fight look easy.
While he appreciates the confidence being shown in him ahead of the event on Saturday, Perry takes nothing for granted because he knows from personal experience that fights aren’t won by statistics or a tale of the tape.
“It’s just facts are facts,” Perry said. “I’m much more of a puncher than he is. I’m much more of a brawler than he is. There’s not a lot of technical standpoints that he has that he can utilize to gain any ground in this fight. He can try to run. He can try hide. He can try to keep his guard up and try to make me punch his hard spots like his forehead or his elbows but the thing is, I’m not going to stop punching him.
“If those are the spots he’s giving me, I’ll break through them. I’ll break him down and I plan to dismantle Eddie Alvarez.”
Perry can’t say for certain what will happen when he finally knuckles up with Alvarez in the ring but he always expects the unexpected. He also can’t make any guarantees about how the fight will play out but Perry has every intention of sending Alvarez into retirement with a thrashing that he won’t soon forget.
“I want to make it look easy,” Perry said. “I want to look perfect in there. When I do put this power on him, we’ll see if his head breaks up my hands. I think I’m better at punching bare knuckle than I was in my first [fight] so I think I squeeze my fist nice and tight and when I shove it down his face, it’s just simple.”