Mike Perry's payday for his bare-knuckle boxing bout at BKFC 56 has reportedly almost equaled his collective salary from 15 UFC fights.
Former UFC welterweight Perry's most recent professional combat sports contest witnessed him face former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in a bare-knuckle boxing matchup. Their showdown headlined the BKFC 56 event in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 2, 2023.
With the BKFC's symbolic 'King of Violence' title at stake, 'Platinum' defeated Eddie Alvarez in a back-and-forth war via second-round TKO. As reported in a tweet posted by MMA Uncensored via @chrisjlebeau, Mike Perry's salary for his BKFC 56 matchup was almost as much as his collective earnings from his 15-fight UFC career.
The tweet read as follows:
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"Mike Perry’s Fighter Pay 💰 $1.3 Million (15 UFC Fights) $1.1 Million ( 1 BKFC Fight) Mike Perry earned $1 million + for his fight vs Eddie Alvarez at BKFC 56. Via @chrisjlebeau"
Perry made his professional combat sports debut back in September 2014. In the early stages of his MMA career, he partook in his lone professional boxing bout, a fourth-round KO defeat against Kenneth McNeil in March 2015.
Boasting an MMA record of 7-0, 'Platinum' made his debut in the UFC organization at UFC 202 in August 2016, defeating Lim Hyun-gyu via first-round TKO. He competed in 15 MMA bouts in the UFC, securing seven wins and eight losses.
Perry's final UFC fight saw him suffer a unanimous decision defeat against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland in April 2021. Following that, Perry (14-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) parted ways from the UFC and competed in a Triller Triad Combat bout, beating Michael Seals by split decision in November 2021.
Mike Perry's BKFC payout underscores 'Platinum's' bare-knuckle boxing star power
In October 2021, it was announced that 'Platinum' had signed a contract with the BKFC bare-knuckle boxing organization and would soon debut in the sport of bare-knuckle boxing. In his maiden bare-knuckle boxing bout at BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 in February 2022, Perry defeated Julian Lane by unanimous decision.
The 32-year-old then won three more fights in the BKFC, taking his bare-knuckle boxing record to 4-0. In his three latest BKFC matches, Perry defeated former Bellator welterweight champion Michael 'Venom' Page, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
With his meteoric rise as a bare-knuckle boxing megastar, the Mike Perry UFC payout per fight has now seemingly been overshadowed by his $1 million-plus BKFC 56 payout.
Many in the combat sports world regard Perry as one of bare-knuckle boxing's biggest stars and the face of BKFC today, with his million-dollar-plus payday underscoring his incredible star power. Moreover, given the exhilarating Perry-Alvarez matchup at BKFC 56, BKFC president David Feldman has suggested that the promotion could book their rematch in Alvarez's native Philadelphia next.