Robbie Lawler will oblige to Mike Perry’s desire to fight years after “Platinum” first called out the former UFC champ.
Lawler (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) and Perry (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) have agreed to meet at UFC 255 on Nov. 21, MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement..
UFC 251 takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Lawler has lost his past four fights. The former 170-pound kingpin most recently returned to action after taking a year off following a loss to Colby Covington, only to drop a lopsided decision to Neil Magny.
Perry, meanwhile, will attempt to win two straight for the first time since 2017. “Platinum” beat Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, but was single entangled in outside-the-cage issues, with a situation in which he got into a troubling altercation at a restaurant that was caught on video.
The UFC forced Perry to take a hiatus in the aftermath of that situation, stating it wouldn’t offer Perry any fights until he sought help. Apparently he’s done enough to make his return, and it will be for arguably the biggest win of his career.
The latest UFC 255 lineup now includes:
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt – for flyweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
- Brandon Moreno vs. Alex Perez
- Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
- Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
- John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
- Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban
- Robbie Lawler vs. Mike Perry