Michael Page made his Bare Knuckle Boxing debut this evening and fell short to the always-game Mike Perry.
The bout had the world of combat sports scratching their head when BKFC announced the matchup. The organisation touted the bout as “the most exciting fight nobody knew they wanted.” The promotion wasn’t lying, as those in attendance got more than they bargained for.
After undergoing five gruelling rounds, the judges deemed the fight a split draw. This is meant in BKFC’s rulebook. The fight must go to a final overtime round to conclude with a concrete winner. Tonight marked the second time a sixth round was needed in the promotion’s history.
Perry wanted it that little bit more in the sixth as he pushed the pace on a tired MVP, granting the American a majority decision in London.
Mike Perry on BKFC Battle With Page
In typical Mike Perry fashion, he took the opportunity to make the most of his mic time following the victory.
“Sh*t, I said I was gonna do six rounds, and he said, ‘You don’t go to a draw with me,’” Perry said after the fight. “They were gonna give it to me at the end of five, but I walked out and told a lie, because I wanted more bloody, baby.”
Perry was notably wearing damage on his face with cuts bleeding over his face, as well as a swollen jaw that seemed to be broken. Page looked a little cleaner on the face but was suffering from heavy swelling around his eyes.
Page did admit he may have overlooked Perry’s skill-set ahead of their matchup but now does have full respect for the brawler.
Michael Page on Mike Perry’s Skillset
“I have to say, Mike Perry, I underestimated him a little bit,” Page said. “Very tough man. …
“I thought I did enough in terms of landing. He was definitely the more pressure fighter, but I thought I landed a little bit more. But it doesn’t matter. I didn’t make it decisive to the judges.”
Perry welcomed Page between the ropes with an early knockout in round one. Following the knockout, Page found his bearings and used his slick counter-striking abilities with his back to the ropes, cutting angles and landing shots of his own. However, towards the end, the Bellator fighter was exhausted and failed to do much damage to Perry.
Perry stated that he had found his home in BKFC, and the sport was done for him. The thirty-year-old also called out Jake Paul and agreed to lace back up the gloves to fight the Youtuber turned boxer.
“I didn’t know it, but now I do. This is definitely for me,” Perry said. “I love this, because a lot of tough men are scared of this, and I want to be the toughest SOB out there. …
“Jake Paul, you need an opponent. You need a money fight. I’m the real money fight. Maybe I’ll put the pillows back on if you’re scared to get in here.”
What did you make of the contest? Did the judges get it right?
Featured image credits to BKFC
