Mike Perry is not spending much time worrying about Jake Paul's prediction that Nate Diaz will submit him on May 16, but he does have some thoughts on what comes next depending on how things go.
Perry and Diaz are set to clash on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Netflix card in Los Angeles, with Paul having gone on record to say he expects Diaz to finish Perry quickly and then focus on an MMA fight with Paul himself. Perry was asked to respond to all of it.
"Well, I guess I was mentioned in the conversation," Perry told MMA Fighting. "May 16, we're going to find out. I'm training really sharp, really hard. I'm killing it every single day. I'm feeling great."
He outlined what he sees as the possible paths forward after the fight, referencing conversations that have already taken place with Dana White.
"Other guys have made their return to the UFC. Maybe that's something, or yeah, we get the most views on Netflix that an MMA fight's ever had, then me and Jake fight. What weight is Jake going to fight at? 200 or 185? MMA, it's different. I threw him on his head in the boxing ring. I threw him on his face, and if that was MMA, it's a little different how that's going to go."
Perry said he respects Diaz and appreciates the positive words his opponent has been sending his way in the lead-up to the fight, while making clear that respect does not mean he is dropping his guard.
"I don't know, Nate's an interesting character. They could jump me with 20 people. We're going to be nice for a second and then maybe something happens. Are we going to talk shit? Because I don't have any ill things to say about him because he has been talking me up, man, and I'm grateful."
He closed with a reminder that the pleasantries end when the fight starts. "Doesn't matter if you say f*** you, or if you say good shit, bro, we're going to clash when they say fight."
