Much has developed with UFC welterweight, Mike “Platinum” Perry within the span of 5 months. From bar fights, to alleged accounts of domestic violence to almost letting Darren Till in his corner, to almost intentionally missing weight; fans are both angered and confused by his behavior. The drama and antics stemming from Perry currently leaves many fight fans with mixed feelings about the fighter. Many call for Perry to be cut due to his domestic violence accusations and his recent performances within the promotion. Whatever the case, this continuation will follow the Perry’s journey his June 21st match at the UFC Apex.
At UFC on ESPN+ , Mike Perry won a unanimous decision victory against Mickey Gall. Perry’s story attracted headlines due to his decision to part ways with his coaches from Fusion XL and have his girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez, as his lone cornerman. It was a feel good story about a fighter winning his match with his main support beam being the woman he loves. But like many stories in real life, the good times don’t quite last.
Nearly a week later. Mike Perry and Latory Gonzalez we’re spotted on film being kicked out of a restaurant in Lubbock, Texas. In the video, Gonzalez leaves the restaurant followed by Perry arguing with a restaurant staff member. As the argument escalates, an older man approaches Perry and adds himself to the argument. After the older man proceeds to lay a hand on him, Perry reacts by turning and punching the older man in the face. The video ends with Perry stepping outside of the bar arguing with others.
When police finally arrived, Mike Perry was charged with misdemeanor assault. After the incident made its rounds on social media, UFC president Dana White announced that Perry would be suspended from fighting pending that he seeks help for issues related to alcohol. White even mentioned that he foresaw that would eventually find himself in that kind of trouble. But of course, some of the worst news came within a few months later.
Danielle Nickerson, Perry’s ex-wife, gave an interview to MMA Junkie detailing the abuse she suffered while being married to Perry. She cites one night where she and Perry met friends at a bar and struck a woman who poured a drink on him after a small argument. Afterward he proceeded to drive home drunk through the streets of Orlando where he ended up pushing Nickerson out of the car. She called another friend to drive her home. Then while at the home, Perry eventually rushed Nickerson, cornered her and proceeded to ground-and-pound her. Nickerson escaped to a neighbor’s house to call Perry’s mother for help. Yes….. Mike Perry’s own mother. The 911 call can be found here.
Nickerson mentions continually throughout the interview that sometimes it felt like she had to tip-toe around Perry’s temper. She also emphasizes that things tend to become volatile with Perry once alcohol gets involved. The incident after drinking at a bar with former classmates establishes a pattern with the recent incident at the bar in Lubbock.
Meanwhile, Perry’s antics continue as normal leading up to his UFC 254 bout with Tim “Dirty Bird” Means. With weigh-ins approaching, Perry taunted Means by sending him pictures and videos of himself cheeseburgers and other foods that aren’t good for cutting weight. Maybe the idea of doing that was to get in Means’s head or make him angry in thinking about the disrespect. But for the most part, Means seemed more puzzled than anything.
After losing to Means in a unanimous decision, Perry continued to confuse Means by sending videos himself flaunting cash. Means just simply acted dismissive to the whole ordeal and seemed relieved that the whole fight was over. With the controversies and recent win/loss record of Perry, many fans expected him to be one of the 60 roster cuts that Dana White promised to make to clear room for incoming DWCS fighters. If there was a good time to do it, now would be ideal.
Despite this, Dana White seems to be in no hurry to cut Perry after his performance against Tim Means. White even mentioning that Michigan native was fun to watch. And no matter your opinion on the the topic… the ratings show that White is not lying. People constantly tune into a Mike Perry fight to see his antics and bold fight style. He has been an attraction for a long time for being a major personality in the UFC. People would watch to see what crazy thing Perry would do in the cage or what eccentric thing he would say next. But now some fans will watch and expect to see him lose fights.
Currently, Perry seems to be indifferent about playing the role of the heel when comes to any incoming fights. He left a bad taste in the mouth many MMA fans after the incident with the bar in Lubbock. And the testimony from Danielle Nickerson helps to paint a picture of a troubled man with a history of mismanaging his temper.
Most recently, Mike Perry has joined the MMA vs Vine/YouTube/IG boxing feud by commenting on a series of videos. Perry made a remark on Twitter toward YouTube personality and boxer (yes I must mention he is technically a boxer), Jake Paul, in which he said the typical trash talk that a fighter would say to someone that is a lower tier fighter. Although to be fair, a lot of fighters came out of the woodwork to scold the ridiculous behavior of Jake Paul. In a way its nice to see fighters stick up for one another but currently its something that Perry shouldn’t focus on unless he’s set on stepping in the ring with one of the Paul brothers and having Darren Till be his cornerman.
On top of all that, Mike Perry and Latory Gonzalez are expecting. Despite only officially dating since April, Perry announced Gonzalez’s pregnancy through Instagram not too long ago.
My opinion about the things surrounding Mike Perry… He needs to start making a conscious effort to gain stability in his life; this includes his position with money, his temper, and his interactions with the community at large. Perry can’t have the “lets ball out” mentality if he expects to raise a child. Money management is a major issue, even for people without children. He also has to set a good example for his incoming child and for the sport of MMA itself. The way he lets the fighter in him dictate too much of his life rather than control learning to harness his negativity. It’s probably best that he takes a small hiatus from fighting to get things straightened out.
And finally, his violent temper. Despite the mantra of “innocent until proven guilty,” there is quite a case built against him when it comes to the accusations of domestic abuse and patterns of violence. When you hear Nickerson’s testimony and compare it with the behavior seen in Lubbock or really any of the stories circulating from his former training camp of Fusion X… it’s hard not to believe the accusations. If he wants to create this stable life for his family, he’ll have to clean up his act and perhaps own up to whatever wrong he’s done in the past. To not reconcile his problems is to let those issues soak into the rest of his life; something his new family doesn’t deserve. ■
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