SITTING in a prison cell after a botched robbery – Mike Perry’s life prospects looked bleak.
But after serving his sentence and pursuing a career in professional combat, Perry completed a complete turnaround in his life.
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The American was raised in Michigan, where racial tensions were high in the predominantly black Perry neighborhood.
This meant that Perry was fighting in the streets long before he was paid to do so as a profession.
“I have always been a fighter. Coming from Flint, Michigan, we have some great fighters from that area,” Perry told SunSport.
“And I’m not going to face being a white kid, having to defend myself, just hazing boys at school.
“The guys were already strong, and at a young age, I remember guys who were 6 feet tall and had facial hair in high school, diving into basketball and it was all over the sports, football, basketball, boxing, wrestling. .”
Perry discovered his talent for throwing hands long before he started making money in boxing matches.
“I’ve always had a knack for physicality,” he said.
“I was strong, I was short, I was low and it took me a long time to realize that I had these skills.
“And so I was trained a lot, I had a lot of different training in my life.
“It’s just something that I have in my back pocket that if I get mad or angry, I can fight, I can fight anything.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to find Perry.
In 2011, at just 19 years old, Perry and two accomplices drove to a house with the intention of committing an armed robbery.
But it all went wrong because the homeowner was there – even though police were canvassing the area and caught the trio in the act.
Perry was sentenced to two years of house arrest and probation – but was later arrested after violating its terms.
He finished the rest of his sentence incarcerated – but it started the turnaround his life needed.
“I learned a lot from that,” he admitted.
“It was like a strict boarding school and you’re there with a bunch of other guys who also can’t get it together and you have nothing there but time to get it together.”
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Perry spent time at the prison gym or did his own impromptu workouts in his cell when he wasn’t working.
“I had a job, went to two different prisons without leaving prison,” he said.
“They transferred me a few times and I worked in the kitchen on one of them so I could eat more.
“It’s as if you worked just for food, for extra food in there. And then the other one, I worked on the road crew where we had to leave and I killed the weed.
When Perry was released, he got a job at a UFC gym teaching kickboxing and taking part in some amateur MMA fights.
He debuted in MMA in 2014 and in just two years and seven fights he was signed by the UFC.
“I started doing jumps and jumps and in the pros and in a short time,” he said.
“I think in two years I had seven knockouts in the third round.
“I hadn’t even made it to the third round and then I got to the UFC and knocked out a few more.”
It was like a strict boarding school and you’re there with a bunch of other guys who also can’t get it together and you have nothing there but time to get it together.
Mike Perry on his prison time
Perry would become a cult hero in the UFC, beloved for his toughness and action style.
He spent five years in the UFC before leaving in 2021 to find his true calling.
Perry signed a contract with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and became the face of the brand thanks to his bold style.
He’s 5-0 with his fists exposed, having taken down some of MMA’s top stars of recent years.
And after years of calls, Perry finally got the fight of his dreams against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Paul, 27, was due to face Mike Tyson until the boxing icon, 58, withdrew amid a health scare.
So Perry — three years after training with Paul in Miami — finally gets his shot at the 9-1 social media sensation.
And he promised that Paul will not hear the scheduled eighth and final round.
“My prediction for the fight, I think I’ll go in there, I’ll show my skills,” he said.
“I’m probably going to hit Jake hard throughout the fight at the beginning, second round, third round, fourth round.
“And then I’m thinking I can stop him in the seventh. I’m trying to stop him, I’m trying to hit him hard with significant strikes and stop him before the end of the fight.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
