Three Fights Mike Perry Should Take After His MMA Return

Mike Perry's departure from Bare Knuckle FC marks the end of a lucrative detour and the beginning of what could be his most interesting chapter yet. At 33, Perry brings name recognition, knockout power, and a drastically improved boxing game back to MMA. The question now: who should he fight first?

1. Michael Venom Page (Bellator welterweight)
This is the fight that writes itself. Page and Perry have circled each other on social media for years, and the stylistic contrast would deliver fireworks. MVP's karate-based movement and flashy striking against Perry's pressure boxing creates a puzzle neither man has solved before. Page is coming off wins but lacks a signature scalp at welterweight — Perry would give him that spotlight. Bellator could co-promote with the PFL umbrella, and the trash talk alone would move pay-per-views. Perry's forward march would force Page to either stand and trade or circle into exhaustion, and both scenarios favor entertainment.

2. Nick Diaz (catchweight, 180 pounds)
Perry himself floated this matchup recently when Dillon Danis leaked an alleged offer. Diaz hasn't fought since 2021, but his name still carries weight, and a catchweight bout removes the cut stress for both men. Stylistically, it's a war of attrition: Perry's evolved boxing versus Diaz's volume boxing and cardio. Diaz would test Perry's gas tank in a way bare-knuckle rounds never could. The narrative hook is generational — the Stockton legend versus the new-era brawler who walked away from the UFC on his own terms. If Diaz is serious about one more fight, this is the kind of spectacle that makes sense outside the UFC umbrella.

3. Jorge Masvidal (welterweight grudge match)
Masvidal is retired, but so was Perry until last week. These two have unfinished business dating back to their early Florida gym days, and both are in the business of building legacy fights now. Masvidal's counter-boxing and cage craft would challenge Perry's straight-line aggression in ways few fighters can. The promotional angle is obvious: two Miami brawlers, both UFC veterans who left to chase bigger paydays, settling an old score. If Masvidal's bareknuckle boxing promotion takes off, this could be the co-main event that launches it. Perry needs a name, and Masvidal needs a reason to lace the gloves again — this checks both boxes.

Perry's path forward depends on which promotion offers the best deal, but these three fights share a common thread: each opponent brings a distinct challenge and a built-in audience. After years of boxing with four-ounce gloves off, Perry has the skills to make noise again. Now he just needs the right dance partner.