There can only be one “King of Violence.”
Two of BKFC’s biggest names, Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens, are set to square off Oct. 4 in the main event of BKFC 88 in Newark, New Jersey. Unsurprisingly, both men are already itching to enter the ring.
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The bout marks a long-awaited return to bare-knuckle boxing for Perry, BKFC’s reigning “King of Violence” who’s sat on the sidelines for more than a year despite his status as the face of the promotion. Since leaving the UFC in 2021, “Platinum” has become a bona fide draw for the bare-knuckle outlet, going undefeated in his five matches and cashing in wins over notable names like current UFC contender Michael Page and former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez.
Appearing alongside his next opponent in a heated virtual face-to-face on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Perry admitted to feeling like Stephens won’t meet the standard of opposition BKFC fans have become accustomed to seeing him face under the bare-knuckle banner.
“Unfortunately, ‘Who the f*** is that guy’ is not going to do a lot for my credibility, maybe,” Perry said, channeling Conor McGregor’s infamous 2016 rib at Stephens at a UFC press conference. “They’ll say that I weight bullied him, or whatever, but fighters should know, and I know, that he’s a tough little s***, and I gotta get his little ass and hurt him before he tries to hurt me. Who hurts who bad enough? Let’s go.”
As alluded to by Perry, Stephens is the naturally smaller competitor in the matchup, weighing as low as 145 pounds over the course of his 35-fight UFC career. Perry, on the other hand, is a former 170-pound welterweight in MMA who’s begun fighting heavier in his post-UFC run, tipping the scales at 185 pounds against Thiago Alves before going up to 200 pounds for his ill-fated boxing match against Jake Paul.
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The vast weight gap between the two resulted in BKFC splitting the difference for their Oct. 8 bout, which is set to take place at 175 pounds.
Thanks to his natural size advantage, Perry doesn’t expect to have a difficult time back in the office.
“It’s an easy fight for me,” Perry said. “You’re so tiny, and I’m going to smash your stupid face in with my bare knuckles. Maybe you’ve been training for this for your whole life, and now is your chance to really get hurt really bad — I’m going to do it. You’ll be alright in a few weeks. Maybe six weeks max, getting out of bed, you’ll be hurt, still thinking about me. Maybe you’ll think about me a year from now.
“I had no other guys [who would] take [the fight]. You are tough, Jeremy. You’re stupid enough to take it. The other guys wouldn’t take it. Nobody was taking it bare-knuckle. Nobody wanted to fight me bare-knuckle except these guys who are in the company already, who want their shot, who want their fight, and they don’t get offered to me. If they got offered to me, I would have said yes. I already slept the [top] pound-for-pound guy [Dave Mundell, in both amateur and professional MMA]. That happened twice.
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“I’m going to son you like you’re too small, like you f***ed up. You didn’t want me to have the weight I wanted, and you put the rehydration clause on me. So that’s fine, you’re scared already. You’re going to get your bag, and you’re going to quit like the rest of them. Nobody wanted to do this with me bare-knuckle.”
Stephens makes his own return to BKFC following a brief comeback appearance with the UFC for its event this past May in Des Moines, Iowa. After racking up a 3-0 start in BKFC with wins over UFC veterans Alvarez and Jimmie Rivera, Iowa native Stephens came up short in his one-off Octagon cameo, losing a unanimous decision to up-and-coming lightweight prospect Mason Jones.
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Now that he’s back in the BKFC, Stephens teased — though declined to confirm — that he may be continuing his recent negotiation tactic of inking single-fight deals. Perry sees it all as a gamble and pondered how that method worked out for his past rival Rockhold, whom Perry finished in two rounds.
Yet it’s a big fight for Stephens, and he’s not backing down from the chaotic challenge that awaits.
“You’re a mental midget, Mike,” Stephens said. “Your body’s strong, your face is strong — I’m going to f***ing break you.
“Who wouldn’t be f***ing scared to fight Mike f***ing Perry? The guy that’s going to f***ing go for your head and try to kill you. That’s why I wake up every day, bro. I’ve been bullied my whole life, having to deal with motherf***ers like you, until they get cracked in the f***ing jaw, and then they just stop f***ing breathing. It’s the ‘Lil Heathen’ that stands f***ing strong, bro. This is my night. Oct. 4, you’re in my [world].”
