TAMPA — Jake Paul secured a knockout win Saturday night over former UFC fighter and current Bare Knuckle FC champion Mike Perry in their boxing match at Amalie Arena.
Paul controlled the pace of Perry throughout most of the fight, managing to knock down the bare-knuckle brawler three times and securing a TKO victory in the sixth round. Paul overwhelmed Perry from the first moments of Round 1, utilizing a jab-heavy approach to keep Perry at a distance.
Much criticism came from the commentary booth about Perry’s defense, which looked to be lacking heavily as Perry marched forward toward Paul — hands down, chin raised. Perry, who has made a name for himself in Bare Knuckle FC as “The King of Violence”, has always relied upon a gritty boxing style to create chaotic moments in the ring, which is where he tends to find the most success.
However, Paul managed to keep his distance throughout much of the fight, rarely allowing Perry to back him against the ropes or dirty box in the clinch. Paul’s jab-heavy approach gave him the opportunity to follow with a number of powerful straight punches, sending Perry to the canvas three times over the course of six rounds.
After the final blow was landed Perry managed to beat the standing count and get to his feet, yet was unable to convince the ref to allow him to remain in the fight.
The victory improved Paul’s record to 10-1. During his post-fight speech, Paul gave his respect to Perry for taking the fight and called for a future rematch in Bare Knuckle FC.
Paul then called out UFC Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
“Alex Pereira, you said you wanna box, I’m the king of this," Paul said. "We can make it happen. I want you, Alex Pereira.”
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Being a current UFC champion, it’s unlikely Pereira would be contractually able to fight Paul outside of the UFC, making this callout little more than a daydream.
However, given Paul’s longtime beef with UFC president Dana White, there’s always the possibility that Dana sends his best to stop Paul.