INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mike Perry felt like he was on top of his game at MVP MMA 1, and it ended in a bludgeoning victory over Nate Diaz.
Perry (15-8) returned to MMA for the first time in more than five years on Saturday and delivered a bloody beatdown of Diaz (21-14) in their welterweight co-headliner at Intuit Dome. “Platinum” was sharp from the outside, and it only took a few minutes for him to cut open Diaz and land plenty of punishing shots.
Diaz hung tough through 10 minutes, but after the second round his corner stopped the fight due to the significant cuts on his face, giving Perry the TKO win.
“He was landing jabs and I was like, ‘I’ve got to move my feet more,'” Perry told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight press conference. “I think I was working at a pace that – obviously I was bringing it, but I was thinking about five rounds because I was hitting him and I was like, ‘Damn, he’s going to be here.’ Sitting down in the second round I was like, ‘There’s no way it’s going to continue.’ I knew, and sure enough, too much blood. I felt kinda bad. But that’s my job. I worked really hard. I trained really hard. I’m violent as f*ck, and I can take it, too.”
After his UFC run ended in 2021 with back-to-back losses against Daniel Rodriguez and Tim Means, Perry found traction for himself with BKFC and also had a boxing match against Jake Paul. He said those experiences helped him returning back to the sport where he started, and Perry said he was operating at an elite level as he battered Diaz.
“I think I was the best welterweight in the world tonight, to be honest with you,” Perry said. “I think I would hurt anybody, damage anybody. I made this weight crazy. I looked crazy physically.”
Moments after the fight, Diaz called for an immediate rematch with Perry. MVP executives Paul and Nakisa Badarian expressed interest in making the sequel in the Bay Area or Sacramento, and Diaz said he will be right back to training once the damage to his face heals.
Perry doesn’t think there were any unanswered questions from the fight that warrant running it back, but if that’s what is presented, he will happily take the opportunity.
“Dude, it’s free money, bro,” Perry said. “I’m going to win that fight. I would do the same thing.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Mike Perry wouldn’t say no to Nate Diaz rematch: ‘It’s free money’
