For Mike Perry, the next opportunity always feels like the biggest one yet. In the case of Perry’s upcoming matchup with Nate Diaz on MVP’s Netflix MMA card, that will be difficult to top.
The fight represents another high-profile stop in Perry’s unpredictable combat sports journey — one that has taken him from the UFC to becoming the face of BKFC. Now, he’ll step into the most lucrative opportunity of his career on May 16 inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
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Speaking Tuesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” the bare-knuckle boxing star revealed that his upcoming payday will exceed all before it, regardless of sport.
“Next one’s always the best one, man,” Perry told Uncrowned. “I’ve been saying that — it’s locked in. I’ve been saying it for 20 years, I swear. We always keep grinding, getting better, keep looking to be our best selves, and really show you guys what I can do.”
The matchup itself came together as a one-off agreement under the MVP banner, another sign of how fluid the current fight landscape has become for some of combat sports’ most recognizable personalities.
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For Perry, the sport’s uncertainty isn’t unusual — it’s simply the nature of the game.
“It’s really cool to be a part of it,” Perry said. “Every fight in my career — every fight in all these fighters’ careers, it could be the last one. It could be the only one. So that really is the thing about this sport. Your body goes through dramatic adaptations and changes, and you become a new person multiple times throughout your career. You have to take a step back, look from the outside in, see what your best paths are, how to get the most that you can, and perform. Simple, you know?”
The fight itself carries plenty of intrigue beyond the business side. It will be the first MMA fight for both in several years — five for Perry, four for Diaz. The fan-favorite Diaz has built a reputation over the years for unpredictable in-fight behavior and psychological warfare, and Perry admitted he expects the Stockton icon to bring his usual brand of chaos in and out of the cage.
Still, the opportunity alone was enough to keep Perry locked in when talks first surfaced months ago. According to Perry, discussions about fighting Diaz began back in early October. At the time, he signed a contract and began preparing for whoever might end up standing across from him, with the Diaz fight ultimately becoming a reality.
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Beyond this bout, Perry’s future remains open-ended. Despite his recent success in BKFC — where he’s become one of the promotion’s biggest attractions — he isn’t ruling anything out moving forward.
“I guess there are options here, right?” Perry said. “With a victory, for me, depending on what MVP’s MMA is looking like. I’ve seen the stigma of what media has been talking about, and it’s some guys having freedom, and I happen to have, and Nate has, [Francis] Ngannou has. It’s a blessing.
“I take it one fight at a time. I appreciate Nate for helping me get this matchup, and we’re gonna clash. That’s really cool after all the hard work in my career. I’m really looking to be my best self and just grow how I can and do what I can for my family.”
