Liverpool star rejected $2 million to fight ‘King of Violence’

Mike Perry and ex-UFC peer Darren Till have had a budding barb-and-banter going for some time now. However, it has yet to materialize into a fight.

Liverpool star rejected $2 million to fight ‘King of Violence’

Mike Perry confirms that Darren Till refused an offer to fight him (Source: Instagram/IMAGO)

Mike ‘Platinum’ Perry has clashed with 2 ex-UFC champions — Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez — in his recent outings. Yet again, he meets Thiago Alves in the BKFC KnuckleMania 4 main event from Los Angeles this weekend. However, there’s one name in particular that keeps eluding him; Darren Till. The duo have engaged in sporadically traded disses for more than a year, leading up to a possible fight.

But said fight is out of the equation now. During BKFC KnuckleMania 4’s pre-fight Media Day, Mike Perry named potent opponents he’d like to face. One was crossover YouTube sensation Jake Paul; the other was Darren Till. The fan-favorite former UFC fighter and Till had squabbled for quite a while. But Perry’s UFC contractual run ended before a fight could materialize. However, he mentioned that there were offer extensions.

Yeah, I heard he said no to, you know, over $2 million... So, you know, Darren is just yapping away over there...What is he doing? I know they gave him a hell of an offer. Respect that you don’t care about that type of offer and you want what you want. When you want what you want, that’s respectable...But that’s one thing about BKFC too — at the end of the day, screw the gloves. Test yourself for real.
Mike Perry via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting on SBN)
YouTube video

The MMA Hour’s top coverage journo Ariel Helwani confirmed that BKFC president David Feldman tried matching Till’s financial stipulations. However, the fighter wanted to opt for a boxing match or two before matching Perry. Perry had told a bout with Till would happen in 2024, before facing Alvarez last December. Hence ‘The King of Violence’ is admittedly stumbled at the refusal.

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The two had rallied the charge on a build-up since Perry beat Donald Cerrone at welterweight (2017). After that much has transpired, with Till crossing bounds by making lewd innuendos at his wife in 2020. However, since then, they have been on amicable terms. With the 4-0 BKFC legend having more leeway to such fights, there remains a slight possibility that they come to blows.

Mike Perry wants the biggest names possible for his future outings

Mike Perry’s rise to fame is no fluke. One does not lightly conceive a moniker like “King of Violence” for a fighter, on a random whim. ‘Platinum’ has violently torn through a staple of former titleholders in the bare-knuckle industry, He meets up with former BKFC champion Thiago Alves in the BKFC KnuckleMania 4 headliner. Should he come out successful from the tint, he wants even bigger names to conquer.

Mike Perry wants more star-studded names should he win at BKFC: "Knuckle Mania" 4
Mike Perry wants more star-studded names should he win at BKFC: “Knuckle Mania” 4 (Source: SB Nation (@SBNation) / X/ IMAGO)

Perry and Darren Till have traded shots back and forth before, in multiple pressers and social settings. He understands that although not bound by a UFC contract, Till exited on a sore 1-5 streak. Hence, venturing into something as complex as bare-knuckle fighting might not go in his favor. Perry does not mean to wait on this, as he has other opportunities to scout for.

I’m thinking about who the heck I’m going to fight next, We’re talking about the résumé that I have, and yes, you’ll tune in to watch Mike Perry fight...because it’s Mike Perry, but Mike Perry fights great names...Like [Floyd] Mayweather fought the names. He fought the other names and he beat like 26 world champions. The bigger the name, the bigger the movie.
Mike Perry to MMAFighting on SBN

He mentions loving the freedom BKFC allows him to nitpick other ventures and fight all and sundry. Perry is willing to gladly hop in the ring with even a less recognizable opponent if rightly incentivized. However, names like  Alves, Rockhold, or Alvarez do boost his standing as a premium draw in BKFC.

He even invoked the case of 50-0 legend Floyd Mayweather who ran through multiple champs in the 4-belt era. Whoever comes next, Perry wants to reach a similar global status with his dominant performances.

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