Exclusive: Mike Perry on Dirty Boxing Success and Partnering With Jon Jones
MMA legend Mike Perry has spent years in the combat sports space competing. He began his career in the mixed martial arts space back in 2014. After a string of wins through various promotions, he would make his eventual UFC debut in 2016.
Perry would be known as one of the most violent strikers, and he picked up wins against big names like Jake Ellenberger, Paul Felder, Alex Oliveira, and more.
Following his UFC career, Perry would eventually move to the BKFC, where he holds an undefeated 5-0 record. With big wins against Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, and Thiago Alves, he has been named the "King of Violence."
Now, Perry has taken his talents to being a fight promotion co-owner. He started Dirty Boxing, which held its first event in March. The MMA/boxing style combines striking, spinning backfists, but no kicking.
Dirty Boxing co-owners Jon Jones and Mike Perry posing with Yoel Romero.
Dirty Boxing co-owners Jon Jones and Mike Perry posing with Yoel Romero.
Dirty Boxing Championship
Combatants take one another on in a boxing ring designed for this style, and they use four-ounce gloves.
Perry sat down with Newsweek Sports to discuss the next event, Dirty Boxing 2, co-owning the promotion with UFC champion Jon Jones, and more.
What is dirty boxing?
"Dirty boxing is fighting. It's a brutal, fast-paced, forceful style of, you know, knocking out your opponents, going for the win, or running into trouble. You know, small gloves, elbows, spinning back fist, Superman punches, a mixed martial arts style of striking, and it's dirty boxing ... We took out the kicks because I think the kicks slow down the action. When you watch a boxing fight, is very intense when they're throwing combinations and they're staying in the pocket. We invite that here at dirty boxing. We want these guys to go for an entertaining show and put it all on the line, throw heat, and have a great time."
How did Dirty Boxing start?
"It came together by me being an exciting, entertaining fighter. I got to meet some great people and entertaining people outside of the ring, and coming together with those people, you know, I have a good time with them, and, you know, thankfully, I can have a good time around them, and same for them with me. So, you know, we get to talking about different styles of fighting, people like a Mike Perry fight, I bring it, and that's what we want to see in Dirty Boxing."
How did Jon Jones get involved in Dirty Boxing?
"So we put on a show that the fighters appreciate, the fighters who speak with us and work with us appreciate, and Jon is involved because he wants to make a difference in the fight game, in combat sports as well. Entertaining fights and putting it on the line, but seeing who's best, and we're going to put on some really great fights, especially this Saturday. I mean, just our second card, our first card was incredible, and our private show, so you know, it's taken off since the private show, and we're really excited about everything that's happening with Dirty Boxing."
You got Andre Arlovski, Yoel Romero in Dirty Boxing 1, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alex Caceres in Dirty Boxing 2. Who else is coming to fight in the promotion?
"There are some legends, and you got to be careful when you mention who's coming, because if they're coming to just watch, then they might not come, because I've already mentioned they could decide up until the last day and be like, You know what? I changed my mind so but the fighters that we have signed contracts with, you know, you said legend Francisco Trinaldo might not be a legend, but he is in in a way or two. You know, he's competed a lot in UFC."
You're doing commentary for Dirty Boxing. Are you planning on competing in dirty boxing yourself?
"Brother, let's go, man. I'm ready to go outside and run right now, and I hope a pro fighter comes out of their house sees me running and goes, 'let's go' ... I'm already excited and and, you know, hope that I can get into a fight soon. I think things are coming together, and they're gonna get me in the ring."
Do you think that if you had a longer camp, the result would have been different with Jake Paul?
"I mean, absolutely, the way things wind down, but I get to that sometimes in life, you get a short camp and you were, your body was already in this mode of preparation. Um, but not at that point in my life. I had just beaten Thiago Alves. I had taken some time and and enjoyed my life after that, that big win to go five and, oh, and bare knuckle and and the sport difference, putting on the size I never fought at 200 pounds."
What's the next evolution of Dirty Boxing? Where do you expect the promotion and you to go from here?
"You know, I always just want a chance, man, and we're getting that chance with Dirty Boxing this weekend. People are going to see it like the team that we have involved. They're probably sweating, hoping everything that they worked so hard on is coming together as best it can. And I know they're good at what they do, they're great at what they do."
The first Dirty Boxing event was streamed for free on YouTube, as will Dirty Boxing 2. Fans can check out the action on June 14, starting around 4 pm PST/7 pm EST at the official Dirty Boxing YouTube channel.
Fans can also still purchase tickets to the event in Orlando, Florida, here.
For more MMA, head to Newsweek Sports.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mailbag: What does UFC's deal with Paramount mean for fighter pay and UFC champs on PPV deals?
It's become the big question about the UFC's $7.7 billion broadcast rights deal with Paramount: What will this mean for UFC fighter pay? In this week's mailbag we'll explore that question for both the rank-and-file fighters and the UFC champs currently receiving pay-per-view points. We'll also look at where the excitement over this news leaves UFC 319 headliners like Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, who've gotten a lot less attention so far this week than they might have otherwise. To ask a question of your own, hit up @BenFowlkesMMA on X. @ProFightsInfo: Did ESPN's annual PPV price increases eventually lead to less people paying for PPV's, thus a drop in PPV buys and their eventual loss of the UFC product on their platforms or was it always inevitable that the UFC would eventually leave them for greener pastures? One thing to remember is that, historically, the UFC has always jumped ship for a new broadcast partner whenever its deal ends. It left Spike TV for Fox. Then it left Fox for ESPN. Now it's leaving ESPN for Paramount. Re-upping with the same partner just isn't in the UFC's DNA. Of course, every deal is bigger than the last — by a lot. So while it keeps hopping around, it's always moving up, at least financially. But it also does seem like TV partners tend to be not all that sorry to see the UFC go by the end, which makes you wonder. The UFC really seemed to be phoning it in by the end of the Fox deal, especially when it came to the quality of the cards it offered for those UFC Fight Night events on the main Fox network. Same with ESPN, which voiced some discontent with the quality it was getting from the UFC at times. But also we have to acknowledge ESPN had a lot of shortcomings on its end. For one thing, the ESPN+ app just flat out doesn't work the way it's supposed to a lot of the time. I know user experiences differ on that, but for me it has been, from a technical standpoint, consistently the worst streaming service I subscribe to — and I have two kids, so I subscribe to approximately 150 different streaming services. Also, those price increases kept hitting like a Max Holloway punch combo. Just relentless, one right after another, until you're suddenly asking fans for $80 on top of the monthly subscription fee. That's brutal, especially at a time when the UFC is hurting for must-see stars. In other words, a lot of factors contributed to this split. One that we also have to acknowledge is that Skydance Media has been trying to push through this merger with Paramount for a while now. Getting that across the finish line seemed to involve a lot of cozying up to the Trump administration. Since the UFC is by far the most openly pro-Trump major sports brand, not to mention the one he personally appears at the most, getting into business with the UFC could be interpreted as another step in that process. @ChrisKirk_ASP: Which UFC fighter do you think will display the most impressive mental gymnastics to convince themselves that no longer getting PPV points is really a good thing for them? Say you're Ilia Topuria. You're a champion and probably the biggest star with a UFC belt around his waist right now. You've got a contract that says you get a piece of every UFC pay-per-view event you fight at. And if you do your job right (which he has every single time so far), that piece will end up being far more lucrative than your actual purse for the fight. Now those pay-per-views are gone. Unless you squeeze in one more fight in 2025, you've made your last dime from UFC PPV. Meanwhile, the UFC has doubled its money from broadcasting these events, in part by agreeing to ditch pay-per-view. So basically the UFC took money you were getting and rerouted it to the TKO coffers. Wouldn't you be asking for some extra compensation to make up for that loss? So far, UFC CEO Dana White has downplayed the loss of PPV money for UFC champs. For instance, on Tuesday night he told reporters: 'We've got a bunch of smart kids over there in the accounting department that figure out how to make all this stuff work.' Then he started talking up how much more exposure and promotion fighters will get with Paramount. Which, if you'll recall, was basically what we've been told about every new deal the UFC has made, from Fox to ESPN. It's what we were told when Zuffa sold the UFC to Endeavor (which later spun it off to TKO Group Holdings). All those entertainment industry connections were supposed to make UFC fighters into big stars via regular appearances on late-night TV talk shows or whatever. That didn't really happen. The UFC has fewer stars now than it did when that sale first happened. In other words, always be suspicious of anyone who promises to pay you in exposure. And if they tell you not to worry because the eggheads over in accounting will sort it out, ask for more details in writing, please. One thing that White did commit to was increasing UFC performance bonuses. The question is, by how much? Because those have been stalled at $50,000 for years now. Considering that they used to be $60,000 or $70,000 back in 2012, when the UFC itself made far less money (and when the actual money was worth more in U.S. dollars) anything short of doubling them would be a joke. @Beastin364: All this talk about Paramount and PPV being dead and it's UFC 319 this week. If i were DDP I'd be pissed. Think all this hurts his money for this fight? It does seem like, shortly after TKO president Mark Shapiro went on CNBC and declared PPV to be an 'outdated, antiquated model' that was now 'a thing of the past,' someone at the UFC remembered, "Oh crap! We still have several more of these to sell this year, including UFC 319 on Saturday night." That's probably why White jumped in quickly thereafter to insist pay-per-view is totally not dead. But come on, look around. Killing off pay-per-view has gotten UFC fans way more excited than any recent move by the company. If you're UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, you probably can't feel great about that, especially since the big news about the Paramount deal has dominated the headlines this week, leaving very little attention for your next title defense. That's OK, though. It's not like you're heading into what's likely to be the toughest fight you've ever had, right? It's not like Khamzat Chimaev was anointed as the champ of the future years ago or anything, right? Nah, it's just you headed into probably the most important night of your entire career, as far as money and legacy are concerned. And, at least so far, it's been pretty thoroughly overshadowed by a TV deal that doesn't start until next year. @jaypettry: Do you think Paramount will build an MMA coverage team cherrypicked out of various members of the MMA media? I expect the UFC broadcasts will look very, very much the same. As far as on-air talent, the UFC has a great squad as is. People like Megan Olivi, Jon Anik, Paul Felder, Laura Sanko, John Gooden, Brendan Fitzgerald — I could go on but you get the point — all do an excellent job. Plus, they are all very much the UFC's people and not really ESPN's, so it makes sense to bring them over to the new home. As far as online coverage, CBS Sports already has writers who really know this sport. Guys like Brent Brookhouse and Shakiel Mahjouri and Brian Campbell have all been covering this sport a long time and they do a great job. I'd expect CBS to keep that team and maybe fill it out with a couple more hires. @nickj812: In the wake of the new UFC fights deal, if you were a competing organisation, got any ideas how to make your product stand out / watchable / more interesting? PPV's used to be special. Do we need #UfCmania or #ufcrumble to bring back real interest? The rumblings I've heard this week suggest PFL sees this shakeup as a good thing. As the UFC leaves ESPN, that leaves PFL as the only MMA brand left on the platform. I'm sure the hope is ESPN will push its events more now that there's no 800-pound gorilla taking up all the space. Will that make a big difference in PFL's success? We'll see, but I don't think the answer is to lean into pay-per-views with the UFC abandoning that role. Shapiro is right. Pay-per-view is an outdated model. @justlikelasagna: Any chance we can get just a little tiny section on Aaron Pico. Where does he rank in guys coming over? Aaron Pico might be the Bellator acquisition most worth getting excited about, just because of his age. He's only 28 and seems like his prime is still ahead of him. His early years in Bellator saw a lot of undermatching him and then overcompensating in the other direction, but at 13-4 he's proven to be a solid, consistent fighter with a ton of athletic ability. But as we've seen, these UFC debuts are tricky. Even seasoned fighters can freeze up or just underwhelm the first time out. We're going to find out more about how Pico deals with the pressure. But whatever happens against Lerone Murphy on Saturday, I'd argue we should give Pico time to get comfortable in the UFC before we leap to any conclusions.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Paramount Skydance (PSKY) Gets 11% Boost from $7.7-Billion Exclusive UFC Deal
We recently published Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY) is one of the best-performing stocks on Tuesday. Paramount Skydance ended 8.4 percent higher on Tuesday after rallying as much as 11.5 percent at intra-day trade, with investor sentiment fueled by its bagging of $7.7-billion exclusive media rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In a statement, Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY) said it entered into an agreement with TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a premium sports and entertainment company, to exclusively air UFC for seven years beginning in 2026. The deal would include UFC's full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights through its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Paramount+, with select numbered events to be simulcast on CBS. As part of the agreement, Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY) will move UFC away from the existing Pay-Per-View model and make the latter available at no additional cost to Paramount+ subscribers in the US. It also intends to explore UFC rights outside the US in the future. UFC is the world's premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. In the US alone, UFC has approximately 100 million fans who are highly engaged across linear, digital, and social platforms. While we acknowledge the potential of PSKY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
Joe Rogan before UFC 319: Michael Page is 'the biggest puzzle in the entire sport'
Joe Rogan sees Michael Page's style as the toughest to deal with in MMA. Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has made a reputation of frustrating opponents on the feet, scoring an array of flashy knockouts during his Bellator tenure. Although he's yet to notch a finish in the UFC, he posed big problems in his two wins over Kevin Holland, and elite striker Shara Magomedov. Rogan had high praise for Page's unique striking style. "Then you've got Michael 'Venom' Page, who's like the biggest puzzle in the entire sport," Rogan said on a recent episode of his "Joe Rogan Experience." "That guy, good luck training for that guy. Just good luck. Super tall welterweight who moves like nobody, who was a world point-fighting champion. That is a totally different thing, that point-fighting thing. Michael 'Venom' Page at one point was one of the best karate point fighters." Rogan will serve on the commentary desk for Page's next fight against former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) on Saturday's UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at United Center in Chicago. "He's super creative, and he also knows how to wrestle now, knows jiu-jitsu now," Rogan said. "So now he's a mixed martial arts fighter, but he's got this one skill set that's crazy unique. I've always said that's the thing that's missing in MMA because we see what happens when you get a really elite boxer, we've seen what happens with a really elite kickboxer, really elite jiu-jitsu guy or wrestler. We haven't seen a really elite point fighter, who learns all those other skills. ... What 'MVP' is doing is something totally different. Like, you can't even touch him. "He's hitting guys that have a lot of experience in the UFC. He's hitting them with shots they don't see coming. They can't hit him. Kevin Holland was like, 'Where the f*ck is he? I can't even find him. This is nuts.' The guy just launches himself at you, pops, he cracks you, and then he's gone, and you're like, 'OK.' He's moving way faster than anybody you've fought before, and covers way more distance quicker than anybody you've fought before. It's the difference between someone who is standing in front of people and knocking sticks and an elite fencer."
