MMA Fantasy: Would Conor McGregor do well against Mike Perry in a bare-knuckle fight?

A potential Conor McGregor vs. Mike Perry fight has been a dream matchup for many in the combat sports community. After Perry's second-round TKO victory over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in their bare-knuckle boxing bout at BKFC 41 (April 2023), the former UFC welterweight respectfully faced off with McGregor.

It was the aforementioned Perry-McGregor face-off inside the BKFC ring that further fueled fan interest in seeing the two striking savants do battle against each other. For his part, Perry (14-8 MMA) has competed at lightweight, welterweight, and in a couple of catchweight bouts as well in his MMA career.

'Platinum' partook in his lone professional boxing bout back in 2015, losing to Kenneth McNeil via fourth-round KO. Perry also competed in a Triad Combat match in Nov. 2021. The Florida native's bare-knuckle boxing record stands at 5-0.

On the other hand, Conor McGregor's lone professional boxing bout thus far was his iconic 'Money Fight' against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017, wherein he lost via 10th-round TKO. Moreover, McGregor (22-6 MMA) is a former UFC featherweight (145-pound) and lightweight (155-pound) champion.

McGregor is set to end his combat sports hiatus dating back to July 2021. He'll face Michael Chandler in a welterweight (170-pound) bout at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024. 'The Notorious' has suggested that he'd like to capture the UFC welterweight and BMF title as well.

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Would Conor McGregor do well against Mike Perry in a bare-knuckle fight?

During the BKFC: KnuckleMania IV event in April 2024, Conor McGregor announced that he was the new co-owner of the BKFC. Many fans saw this as a sign that McGregor could finally try his hand at bare-knuckle boxing.

However, McGregor reportedly has two fights left on his UFC contract and currently can't compete in the BKFC or any other organization. As for Perry, he's likely to continue fighting in the BKFC and is beheld as their biggest star.

Assuming that their bare-knuckle boxing match does materialize, Mike Perry would be the favorite on paper, courtesy of his experience in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing. 'Platinum' possesses a better jab, dirty boxing, and close-range boxing prowess than his Irish foe. Regardless, Conor McGregor would bring superior one-punch KO power, more versatile uppercuts, and better long-range pugilism.

Both fighters are known for their explosiveness and knockout power, something which usually depletes a fighter's cardio in a given fight's latter rounds. Nevertheless, Perry and McGregor intelligently recognize that and deftly pace themselves. Their cardio and strength would nullify that of one another.

Though Mike Perry's a more natural fit for 175-pound and 185-pound fights in the BKFC, Conor McGregor has lately bulked up and won't be giving up much weight. They're around the same height, with McGregor having a three-inch reach advantage. For Perry to win, he must safely close the gap and make it a phone booth fight. Alternatively, McGregor's ideal approach would be to stun and possibly knock him out at long range.

It'll be a tough matchup, but McGregor's extensive big-fight experience, timing, and long-range striking could be the difference-makers. Furthermore, speaking of bare-knuckle fights, if their match is contested in the sport of bare-knuckle MMA instead, McGregor's crafty (and criminally underrated!) grappling abilities would help him defeat 'Platinum' in a far more dominant fashion.