Issue 156

July 2017

Mike Perry shows his stunning single-shot stopping power

“Whose life y’all want me to ruin next?” Mike Perry is not kidding around. If he manages to connect clean with any of his most powerful strikes, his opponent can expect to be unconscious and take their place in the loser’s column quickly. 

The only man to see an MMA contest with ‘Platimum’ through to the final bell is Alan Jouban, who stayed on the move and away from danger to frustrate the Flint, Michigan native for 15 minutes on his way to a decision victory. In his next fight against Jake Ellenberger, Perry came with a more disciplined approach, but still a plan to take ‘The Juggernaut’s head off.

He took the first round and bloodied his opponent, but couldn’t find that blow to close the show. It was a different story in the second frame. First, a left hook landed that put Ellenberger on his backside. After he got back to his feet it was a rapid right elbow to the jaw that hit with sense-separating force and prompted referee Josh Ward to stop the fight by sliding in as if he was stealing first base.

It was a finish worthy of a post-fight bonus even on a night filled with eye-catching finishes. Perry agreed: “Definitely – unless someone does a backflip kick to the head and knocks somebody out. I said that I’m going to do things and use my imagination, do stuff that nobody’s done or been doing and that’s what I did.”

Game plan

“I knew all he wanted was the right hand. I was setting up the elbows and the left hooks to counter the overhand right.”

$50K

Perry earned his first UFC performance bonus

Stopping force

“Everything I threw, I tried to touch him a little bit to set up my power shots. When I throw power, man, people go down. That’s the way it’s always been.”

100%

Each of Perry’s 10 wins have come via KO or TKO

Celebrate in style

“Shout out to BJ Penn and GSP because I smacked my head like BJ Penn used to do and I did the windmill better than GSP used to do it. I still like you, though, GSP.”

6

Only nine welterweights can beat the knockdowns Perry has hit in four 

UFC fights

Close call

“If you look in the first round when he threw the overhand right, I tried to duck and throw the right elbow at the same time to make him run into it because I’ve been setting that up. It just missed.”

Sweet dreams

“I didn’t even feel the elbow. It was so smooth, so swift. It breezed by like the wind. I looked and he was standing straight up, eyes closed. He leaned back and I wished him goodnight.”

Zero

Perry has never attempted a takedown in the Octagon