“He did something different,” Legendary Demetrious Johnson shocks the internet with his pick of 2023 MMA Fighter of the year

Demetrious Johnson names his 'Fighter of the Year' surprising the fighting world with his selection.

“He did something different,” Legendary Demetrious Johnson shocks the internet with his pick of 2023 MMA Fighter of the year

Demetrious Johnson names his 'Fighter of the Year' (via IMAGO/pngtree)

While many MMA outlets have declared their ‘Fighter of the Year’ for 2023, MMA legend Demetrious Johnson had an unpopular selection. Recently, Johnson held his award show called ‘Mighty Awards’ on his YouTube Channel. As such, he decided to give the award of ‘Fighter of the Year’ to an out-of-the-box fighter, Mike Perry. This choice certainly shocked the fight fans. However, ‘Mighty Mouse’ gave his thoughts on his pick.

‘Platinum’ won fights against former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez this year. Moreover, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was start-struck by how Perry earned his victories. As such, he acknowledged that Perry made both the former champions quit. So, Johnson awarded him the ‘Fighter of the Year’ award. Here is what Demetrious Johnson said:

Mike Perry has stopped two world champions in his last two fights. Now he is the ‘King of Violence.’ He’s beaten two of my good friends, Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, which – those guys are no joke. He has embraced and embodied bare-knuckle fighting, and that’s why he gets my best Fighter of the Year.
Demetrious Johnson via Mighty Gaming
YouTube video

Mike Perry earned two TKO stoppages in his previous two fights against Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez. The TKOs resulted from ‘Platinum’ putting a beating on his opponents. As such, Demetrious Johnson was thoroughly impressed. So, he even praised Perry for going out of the way to pursue Bareknuckle fighting and doing unconventional things like having his girlfriend in his corner.

FS Video

Mike Perry had a turbulent career in the UFC with a record of 7-8. However, he found his grove in bare-knuckle fighting after signing with the BKFC. Now, he has an undefeated BKFC record of four wins and shined as a star name for them.

[related_news] Related: “Mike Perry beat his a**” – Fight fans react on Twitter as Luke Rockhold quits in his BKFC debut [/related_content]

Achievements of Mike Perry in 2023

Mike Perry entered 2023 with impressive performances in BKFC. He earned two victories against veteran Julian Lane and flashy Michael Page. As such, BKFC put forth Luke Rockhold as his next opponent. The fight was scheduled for BKFC 41 in April 2023.

Perry battered Rockhold to the teeth to earn the win. Perry made Rockhold verbally quit in the second round after he suffered damage to his teeth. UFC legend Conor McGregor was in attendance and enjoyed the show. Later, Perry even shared a friendly face-off with McGregor inside the squared circle.

Lookback on Mike Perry's career in 2023
Lookback on Mike Perry’s career in 2023 (via BKFC)

Later, Mike Perry squared off against another opponent, Eddie Alvarez, who liked to inflict blood-driven damage on his opponents. This fight had a lot of hype behind it, with the BKFC introducing a new belt called ‘King of Violence.’ As such, the fight went down in BKFC 56 in December 2023. Once again, ‘Platinum’ crushed his opponent to score a victory. This time, Alvarez quit on his stool for medical reasons after two rounds of war.

Mike Perry had an outstanding year as a bare-knuckle fighter in 2023. He scored two finishes against two formidable opponents, once world champions in the UFC. Also, Perry got his hands on the title ‘The King of Violence,’ which he most deserved. Overall, Perry had a great 2023 and looked forward to fighting in 2024. As such, he expressed interest in taking on other game opponents and named Anthony Pettis and Jorge Masvidal.

In case you missed it: