Mike Perry says he’s signed bout agreement for UFC on FOX 28
“Platinum” is already looking to get back in action.
Just three weeks after dropping a unanimous decision to Santiago Ponzinibbio in December, Mike Perry told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday that he has put pen to paper to fight in his hometown of Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 24 at UFC on FOX 28 against an opponent yet to be announced.
“I’ll take anything, but we already got something coming,” Perry said. “I can’t say a name, I don’t know if he’s signed his bout agreement, but I signed a bout agreement today. I signed one today, so we’ll see if he signs his and I’m ready to perform and it’s next month.”
Perry (11-2) offered hints at who was in his sights, saying that it was someone who expressed interest in fighting him when they met at the UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas last May, and that he’d previously fought Colby Covington.
Of the fighters who are currently contracted with the UFC, that narrowed the list down to Demian Maia, Dong Hyun Kim, Bryan Barberena, Max Griffin, Jonathan Meunier, Warlley Alves, and Mike Pyle. Perry dismissed the Barberena and Pyle suggestions, but responded to Griffin’s name with a long pause and a smirk.
Barberena also denied the rumor himself, which resulted in a Twitter exchange with Perry:
I’m not the one fighting @PlatinumPerry I wish it was me,dude loves to throw hands & bang and that’s what I’m all about. But I’m still healing up from an injury. Maybe in the future we’ll meet up platinum
— BRYAN BARBERENA (@bryan_barberena) January 8, 2018
Careful what you wish for
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) January 8, 2018
— BRYAN BARBERENA (@bryan_barberena) January 8, 2018
Whoever it is that Perry is referring to, the heavy-handed welterweight (all of Perry’s 11 victories have come by way of knockout) had a stern warning for him.
“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is,” Perry said. “I’m here to fight, so I’m gonna show out for my hometown here in Orlando, it’s going down. That’s what’s happening.
“Whoever want to show up and fight me in my hometown, if they haven’t signed the bout agreement yet, you can probably know who I’m talking about if you’re listening to this and if you said we was gonna fight, so we might as well be ‘bout it, sign that paper, or if not, I understand. I will end somebody’s career right here in Orlando, we’ll just see who it’s going to be.”