Mike Perry is currently in a state of limbo as he eagerly waits for news on his contract renewal. Following his latest bare-knuckle fight against Luke Rockhold at BKFC 41, Perry disclosed that this encounter is the endpoint of his recent contract, and although he is enthusiastic to continue fighting without gloves, he is driven by the need to provide for his loved ones.

At the BKFC 41 press conference following Rockhold’s retirement at the 1:15 mark of Round 2, Perry expressed his thoughts, stating, “I’m free from everybody, but I adore bare-knuckle boxing. David Feldman, the bare-knuckle team, the fans, and everyone else who has been showing tremendous support, I love them all.”

Perry, true to his nature, was bloodied by former UFC middleweight champion Rockhold, who landed several powerful punches that put his smaller opponent in a difficult spot before an initial flurry forced Perry to call it quits by turning to the referee to signal his exit.

Perry, however, was taken aback by the abrupt ending of the fight, “I was anticipating another round, and I was in shock because I thought, ‘that was too simple after all that hard work. When I got hit, I thought, ‘OK, your size and your weight’, but I’m still ‘Platinum.’ My chin is still holding up, and I like it. I enjoy getting hit. Sometimes, it prompts me to get into the battle. It makes me who I am. And I am one of the roughest, toughest individuals on the planet.”

In the aftermath of his win, Perry called out UFC megastar Conor McGregor, who was present at the 1stBank Arena in Broomfield, Colo., to witness the event. The two confronted each other in front of the cameras and exchanged pleasantries. Perry proposed that he seeks vengeance for his UFC loss to Donald Cerrone, who was also watching the BKFC 41 fight, before fighting McGregor.

However, he claimed that there had to be a strong incentive for those sorts of confrontations, “the conflicts must make sense for them, for the money that they’re paying me. It was dicey, it could have gone either way. Luke was a significant challenge.