Mike Perry appears ready to close the book on bare-knuckle boxing and turn his attention back to MMA. The former UFC fighter became one of BKFC’s biggest stars, going undefeated and earning the nickname ‘The King of Violence’ in Conor McGregor’s promotion. But after making his mark in the sport, Perry is looking for a fresh challenge, and he believes mixed martial arts could be his next move.

“It’s good to get that out. I kind of had some feelings about it,” Perry told Uncrowned. “It’s like the ‘BK cheat code,’ man. That bare-knuckle stuff is like a cheat code, I guess. Those two-minute rounds, I was good at it. It was fun. I made some noise doing it, and I’m ready for another challenge.

“So, I think MMA is in my foreseeable future, and I’m going to give it my best shot.”

After leaving the UFC in 2021 following a loss to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 23, Perry went 6-0 in BKFC and became one of the promotion’s biggest draws.

In July 2024, he stepped into the boxing ring against Jake Paul on short notice, only to suffer a sixth-round stoppage loss. Things got even messier afterward, as Mike Perry became embroiled in a public feud with the co-owner of BKFC, Conor McGregor, who claimed ‘Platinum’ had been fired from the promotion. Despite this, Perry continued to compete in BKFC.

However, Perry has already made his way back to MMA, picking up a win over fellow former UFC fighter Nate Diaz in May on the Most Valuable Promotions card headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. But he couldn’t keep the momentum going, suffering a loss to Brandon Jenkins at Duel Arena 1 in August.

Despite that setback, the 35-year-old appears committed to giving MMA a proper shot.

“I’m going to give something a good shot here,” Perry said. “And just a couple years, at least I won’t be going back [to BKFC], then I got some fights I’ll have to focus on.”

“I think it’s gloves for me, and I’m going to keep that as like close to my heart as… Like, oh, I’m a high-level professional, and I’m getting to build something here, and it’s very challenging. It’s harder. A five-minute round with everything: the grappling and the boxing and the kicking.”

Beyond fighting, Perry launched the Dirty Boxing Championship in 2024, expanding his role in combat sports from competitor to promoter. The venture gained a major name in March 2025, when his friend former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones joined as a co-owner after showing interest in the promotion following its debut event.

Meanwhile, BKFC president David Feldman had already hinted that Perry’s next fight could take place elsewhere. While the door hasn’t necessarily closed on their relationship, Feldman acknowledged that the former BKFC star appears to be exploring other opportunities, with discussions about his future still underway.

“I don’t think so,” he replied when a reporter asked if Perry’s next fight will be in the BKFC. “I think I think he’s doing something else. And that’s okay. Look, Mike was good for us, and we were great for Mike, and you know, he may be moving on to some other things, and that’s okay.

“We’ll see. I mean, we’re in talks, but I think they’re going to have some news pretty soon about where he’s going.”

Perry’s future with BKFC has also been clouded due to his public feud with Conor McGregor. The tension escalated after Perry’s loss to Jake Paul, when the Irishman made pointed comments about his standing with the promotion. With ‘The Notorious’ involved in BKFC, the fallout added another twist to Perry’s already uncertain future.

For now, the 35-year-old appears ready to focus on MMA and see how far he can go outside the bare-knuckle scene that made him a star. His undefeated 6-0 run in BKFC established him as one of the promotion’s biggest attractions, but returning to MMA presents a different kind of test.

The next couple of years could prove crucial in determining whether ‘The King of Violence’ can translate that momentum into another successful chapter in mixed martial arts.

Mike Perry wasn’t the only BKFC fighter facing uncertainty over his future

Mike Perry isn’t the only fighter who has faced an uncertain future with BKFC. Flyweight champion John Dodson has also voiced frustration with the restrictions of his exclusive contract, arguing that long stretches without fights have limited his ability to compete elsewhere.

Now, with BKFC set to scrap its men’s flyweight division, both Dodson and interim champion Andrew Strode could be forced to move up to bantamweight.

BKFC president David Feldman revealed the decision in a recent interview with Home of Fight, explaining that Dodson’s move to 135 pounds to face Jamel Herring at BKFC 95 on October 17 would signal the end of the men’s 125-pound division.

“No… I’ll probably breaking with you right now,” he said. “We are actually going to do away with the 125 lbs division. We just don’t have enough competition to have a full division and be able to keep the guys busy as we want. So John elected to move up to 135.

“He doesn’t know that yet, but he will be the double champ, and then we will take it from him. But we have to give him that honor to be the double champ. But then, we’re gonna retire that.”

Luis Palomino, a former BKFC champion across multiple divisions, has also started exploring options outside the promotion. Having been defeated by Austin Trout on December 5, 2025, at BKFC 85, Palomino has moved to mixed martial arts, signing with Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, the promotion of former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal.

With several established names now looking beyond BKFC, the promotion’s roster could be entering a period of change. And Mike Perry’s decision to prioritize MMA simply adds to that trend.