Perry hopes win over Alvarez leads to 'Mayweather-McGregor type of' fight

Mike Perry's stock has never been higher.

Two-and-a-half years ago, his UFC contract expired on the heels of consecutive losses. Now, "Platinum" is arguably the face of bare-knuckle boxing.

Perry signed with BKFC in late 2021 and, in the span of 14 months, defeated MMA veteran Julian Lane, longtime Bellator star Michael "Venom" Page, and, most notably, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Suddenly, Perry is headlining big events, going face to face with Conor McGregor, and getting mentioned by Jake and Logan Paul.

So, what changed?

"I've just learned a lot," Perry told theScore. "I've had my experiences in and out of the ring. Ups and downs. And lots of lessons. I try to move forward with the intelligence that I've gained."

He added: "I think a lot of people that have seen me fight anywhere that I've fought, they've realized that they can tune in to a good show when they watch a 'Platinum' Mike Perry fight or event. With BKFC, I'm getting that credit that I deserve for the amount of effort and work that I put into these fights."

Next up for Perry is former UFC lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, whom he faces in the BKFC 56 main event Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The fight, which has been dubbed one of the biggest in BKFC history, is for the mythical "King of Violence" title and will be on pay-per-view.

Perry said a win over Alvarez would be "enormous" for his brand and could lead to opportunities on an even bigger scale.

The 32-year-old signed a new multi-fight contract with BKFC - which he has said will pay him seven figures, far more than what he earned as a UFC fighter - in August.

Though he is locked in with BKFC for the foreseeable future, Perry said he sees doing business with the UFC as a possibility. But he doesn't want to rejoin the roster. He wants to co-promote.

"Usually, after a fight, there's lots of ideas that get put out there," Perry said. "I have free rein to do other things while under this contract of BKFC. And if there is a huge market for something, then business gets done. ... In the back of my mind - UFC pay-per-view main event, something like that, has always been on my mind.

"I like where I'm at, but if we can make something so huge, like a Mayweather-McGregor type of scene. ... That was in the boxing ring. Who knows if I end up putting the boxing gloves on against someone? Or if I go back with the four-ounce gloves and fight? ... The sky's the limit. We can do anything. I just keep blowing this up, and people are gonna want in - they're gonna want some of it for themselves. The UFC is someone we could share with."

Ultimately, Perry hopes to be involved with something "that gets the celebs' attention."

"I just have to try to do things right," Perry said. "The best way to try, in my opinion, has been to not try at all, and to just be myself and to just say what comes to my mind. I'm just working for success one fight at a time, one day at a time, and Dec. 2, we'll see where the stock goes."