Mike Perry shifted focus to MMA, not BKFC
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 21, 2026
Perry’s MMA focus
Mike Perry said his next move was in MMA, not bare-knuckle boxing. He said a bare-knuckle fight with Darren Till was not happening and made clear that his plans pointed back to mixed martial arts rather than BKFC. Perry made the comments on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he framed the shift as the next step in his career. He said he was ready for another challenge after building his name in BKFC, and that line captured the tone of his stance. Perry had done enough in bare-knuckle to make his name in the sport, but he did not sound interested in staying there as his main focus. He put the emphasis on MMA and left bare-knuckle on the back burner. That choice mattered because Perry had built his name in BKFC, and his comments pointed toward a cleaner commitment to the sport he wanted to prioritize. The message was direct. Perry saw his future in MMA, and he did not view a Till matchup in BKFC as part of that path.
BKFC experience and return
Perry also gave a blunt read on bare-knuckle itself, saying it felt like “a cheat code” because of the two-minute rounds. That remark summed up how he viewed the format after his time in it. He had not fought in BKFC since stopping Jeremy Stephens at BKFC 82 more than a year ago, so his comments also put some distance between his plans and his last bare-knuckle win. Since then, Perry had gone 1-1 in MMA. He beat Nate Diaz on Netflix before losing to Brandon Jenkins in August after an injury. That stretch showed why MMA now looked like the more immediate test for him. He had already returned to that side of the sport, and he had already had one win and one loss there since his last BKFC appearance. Perry’s comments did leave one opening. He said a return to BKFC could still happen if part-owner Conor McGregor eventually competed there. That kept the door cracked, but only under a specific condition. For now, Perry was pointing his career toward MMA and treating BKFC as a possible future option, not his immediate lane.
McGregor’s BKFC role
Perry’s mention of McGregor added the clearest path back to bare-knuckle in his mind. He tied any future return to the idea of McGregor eventually competing in BKFC, which gave that possibility a built-in hook beyond Perry’s own schedule. That was the one scenario he raised when asked about a comeback, and it suggested he still saw value in the promotion under that condition. Perry had already spent time in BKFC, and he had also moved back into MMA. That balance explained the way he spoke about his career. He did not shut the door on bare-knuckle, but he did draw a clear line around where his attention sat at that point. His remarks also reinforced that the Darren Till fight was off the table for the moment. The focus was elsewhere. Perry wanted MMA first, and he wanted a new challenge after what he had already done in BKFC. If McGregor ever fought in the promotion, Perry left room for a return. Until then, his plans were centered on mixed martial arts.
