Mike Perry has finally decided to head back to his roots. ‘The King of Violence’ announced on social media that he has re-signed with the UFC and that his next fight will take place inside the Octagon. To make his return even more intriguing, Perry is reportedly set to face a former BMF champion for his comeback.

“I am baaaaack!” Perry posted on Instagram. “Mike Perry has re-signed to the UFC. The king of violence is coming to the octagon near you.”

A subsequent report from Championship Rounds noted that Mike Perry’s name appeared on the UFC’s anti-doping test website. Fighters returning after a long time away must go through that mandatory procedure to qualify for testing, and that update further confirmed Perry’s return to the UFC. 

For Perry, it means he will be returning to the Octagon five years after he last competed in Dana White’s promotion.

‘The Platinum’ made his UFC debut on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202, where he defeated Hyun Gyu Lim by first-round technical knockout to make a statement. He racked up some amazing victories over Paul Felder, Jake Ellenberger, and Alex Oliveira.

However, Perry’s overall UFC run proved lackluster, with him departing the promotion with a record of 7 wins and 8 losses. The 35-year-old’s last UFC fight was a unanimous decision loss against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 23 in April 2021.

The loss to Rodriguez also marked the expiration of Perry’s contract with the UFC.

Instead of re-signing with UFC, Perry left the organization and made a big name outside it by competing in BKFC and boxing. The Michigan native rose into the spotlight after fighting Michael Page, Luke Rockhold, and Eddie Alvarez in BKFC.

Perry’s performances earned him a high-profile boxing match against Jake Paul in 2024. But ‘Platinum’ ended up losing the bout via sixth-round knockout.

As Mike Perry prepares for his UFC return, the promotion has yet to announce an opponent. However, social media creator Kevin K reported that the UFC is working on a bout against ex-BMF champ Jorge Masvidal at UFC Orlando in February 2027.

“Jorge Masvidal Vs Mike Perry Is Indeed In The Works For #UFCOrlando in February, date TBD Per Multiple Sources,” Kevin K posted on X.

Jorge Masvidal became the inaugural BMF champion after beating Nate Diaz at UFC 244. ‘Gamebred’ never defended the belt, but the title was eventually relinquished after he retired following a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287.

Since then, the belt has changed hands among Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, and now Charles Oliveira, the current BMF champion, who is set to defend it against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 in December.

Masvidal also recently revealed that he is in active negotiations with the UFC, which suggests he may be the one to fight Mike Perry. But the fight is currently at the reported stage, as the UFC has yet to officially announce it.

Mike Perry’s move to return to the UFC was made possible after he exited Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), a promotion Conor McGregor partly owns.

Mike Perry left Conor McGregor’s BKFC to pursue MMA

For years, Perry was the face of Bare Knuckle FC. He faced multiple high-profile opponents and engaged in scraps that thrilled fans. Perry received the moniker ‘The King of Violence’ after defeating Eddie Alvarez on December 2, 2023. However, after spending considerable time with the promotion, Perry felt it was time he pursued other endeavors.

Perry’s last fight in BKFC was against Jeremy Stephens in 2025, and he did not take on any other matchup there. Instead, he ended up beating Nate Diaz at Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)’s first MMA show in May 2026.

That signaled that his days with BKFC were nearing their end. In October 2026, Perry finally announced that his contract with the promotion was over.

“That bare-knuckle stuff is like a cheat code and those two-minute rounds,” Perry told Ariel Helwani. “I was good at it. It was fun. I made some noise doing it. And I’m ready for another challenge.

“I think MMA is in my foreseeable future and I’m gonna give it my best shot. I kind of did my thing over there, and now it looks like we’re going a different way. I think it’s gloves for me.” 

With that, Mike Perry made clear that his interest lies with MMA. However, BKFC president David Feldman said Perry received an “offer that he can’t refuse,” borrowing a line from The Godfather. What Feldman alluded to was that the offer came from the UFC and not elsewhere.

That said, Mike Perry signing with the UFC made one thing clear: the promotion could be looking for fun fights with him rather than legitimate contenders. ‘The Platinum’ has been away from the Octagon for years, and though he stayed active, the UFC contender landscape has shifted drastically. 

At 35, Perry is also looking at a couple of years of active competition, so the UFC may use that to its advantage and offer fans an entertaining spectacle. His reported opponent, Jorge Masvidal, who has also been away from the UFC for three years, fits that thought.

Ultimately, it remains in the hands of the UFC to decide how it books Perry after signing him.