Former UFC welterweight fighter Mike Perry is not a stranger to controversies and has been involved in many during his fighting career.
One of the biggest controversies surrounding him happened when he dropped the N-word while talking to former UFC champion Tyron Woodley on an Instagram live video. Although it was not at all in a hateful manner, fans were surprised how Perry used the N-word while talking to Woodley.
tyron woodley’s reaction always gets me ☠️😂 pic.twitter.com/eOk5HmuAGl
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) July 17, 2023
So, understandably, Tyron Woodley asked Mike Perry to explain to his audience why he could use the N-word. To which Platinum replied that he could say it because it was from his heart. “You know I’m saying I think first of all it comes with, you ain’t gonna do shit to me when I say it because it comes from the heart,” Mike Perry explained the former UFC fighter.
While some were condoning this action by Perry, there were a bunch of people who were amused by how Perry got the N-word pass. Additionally, when Woodley himself laughed it off when a fellow UFC fighter used that particular word, the controversy did not get too bad.
Mike Perry’s ethnicity and background
Mike Perry has multiple times talked about his ethnicity and background. In 2018, addressing the whole controversy around his using the N-word, the welterweight fighter said that he is allowed to use the N-word because he is 2% African. The fighter found this about himself when he took an ethnicity test.
In a podcast with comedian Brendan Schaub, Perry was talking about his ethnicity and said some really interesting things that amused the host. Perry said that he is Indian, Caucasian, Mexican, and African. Former UFC fighter Schaub was sort of surprised and took time to process this information. He said, “You’re a real mutt.”
Also known as ‘Platinum‘, Mike Perry’s last appearance in the UFC was in April 2021 where he lost against Daniel Rodriguez by a unanimous decision. This was the 31-year-old’s 4th loss in his last 5 matches.
He is currently signed with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and has moved up to the middleweight division. His latest fight was at BKFC 41 in Colorado where he defeated former UFC fighter Luke Rockhold. Perry is currently ranked at no. 2 in the middleweight division of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.