Whatever you do, don’t call ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry’s next opponent a ‘dance partner’. Don’t call any of his opponents ‘dance partners’, for that matter.
Perry doesn’t step inside an Octagon to dance. He doesn’t put four-ounce gloves on his hands to dance. His next opponent, Santiago Ponzinibbio, a man last seen knocking out Gunnar Nelson inside a round in Glasgow, Scotland, isn’t a dancer, nor will he be inclined to waltz or jive when the pair meet in Winnipeg, Canada, on December 16. He, like Perry, will be looking to land concussive shots – be it punches, kicks, elbows or knees – from the get-go.
“The fight came to be because it’s a part of the plan,” Perry told Fighters Only contributor Tony Reid. “It’s however the world turns. It just happened to be that way. This fight is full circle from a year ago. It is my opportunity to rise to the occasion and show the world what I am made of. I will be prepared.
“I am excited to see what this guy can dish out and what he can take. I am going to get in there and headbutt this motherf**ker if I have to. There ain’t no games around here. Urijah Faber said ‘I have a dance partner’ and I was thinking there ain’t no f**king dancing. You have to be relaxed in there. You have to swag out. I am already p***ed off. It’s a dance of death. It’s a different type of dance, so I will go with that. I look forward to it. I will rise to the occasion and we will continue to change my life.”
