Mike Perry vs. Jeremy Stephens to headline BKFC 82
Mike Perry will return to bare-knuckle fighting for the first time in over a year when he faces Jeremy Stephens in the BKFC 82 main event Oct. 4 in Newark, BKFC president David Feldman announced Wednesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show."
Perry last stepped into the BKFC ring in April 2024 when he earned a 60-second knockout of Thiago Alves. The former UFC welterweight then boxed YouTube star turned prizefighter Jake Paul in July 2024, losing by sixth-round knockout. Perry hasn't competed since.
The 33-year-old signed with BKFC in 2022 and quickly became the face of the promotion. He's 5-0 under the BKFC banner, which includes wins over Eddie Alvarez, Luke Rockhold, and Michael "Venom" Page.
Stephens, also a UFC veteran, has won three fights since joining BKFC in 2023. His most notable win came against Alvarez in a January main-event bout.
The 39-year-old returned to the UFC in May for a one-off fight in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. He suffered a unanimous decision loss to Mason Jones. Stephens was previously on the UFC roster from 2007 until his exit in 2021.