Mike Perry Talks About Fighters Possibly Dying In The Octagon
Mike Perry picked up his third win under the UFC banner when he defeated Jake Ellenberger by knockout at UFC Fight Night 108.
The welterweight star believes that a fighter may die in the Octagon one day, even if he isn’t the one who does it.
“Y’all hear how I talk about these people,” Perry said after the event. “I don’t think I’m going to be the guy that’s going to be the first guy to kill somebody in the UFC. I think that I have clean knockouts, and with a clean knockout, people go to sleep. Then they wake up, they heal up. He’ll be fine. I’ve seen bad knockouts before. I always pray for my protection, their protection – but I pray for victory, too. I’ve got to win. That’s how I win. That’s how I do it.”
Perry was able to get the knockout over his welterweight victim because he wasn’t afraid of the power his opponent possessed.
“I knew he had power – I was sure he did,” Perry said. “(He’s) top 15, and he’s got all those muscles, very similar body style (to mine). But I knew that’s all he wanted was the right hand. I was setting up the elbows and the left hook to counter that, and that’s what finished the fight for me. I was never worried about his power. When he took me down, I was doing my best to not get hit – that’s the name of the game. I think he was taking too long to get back to me – maybe it’s time to hang up the gloves. I’d be happy to be his last fight. Maybe he’ll come back and beat somebody else – I don’t know.”
When Perry got the knockout over Ellenberger, the fighter won a $50,000 “Performance Of The Night” bonus.
Despite having three wins in the UFC, the victorious Perry earned his first win over a ranked opponent at UFC Fight Night 108.