Why Demetrious Johnson picks Mike Perry as his MMA Fighter of the Year

Demetrious Johnson has an unpopular opinion for 2023’s MMA Fighter of the Yr.

With UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland winning MMA Junkie’s Male Fighter of the Year, Johnson regarded outdoors of the foremost MMA promotions for his decide.

As an alternative, “Mighty Mouse” chosen Mike Perry, who scored two stoppage wins over former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez in bare-knuckle boxing this yr.

“Mike Perry has stopped two world champions in his final two fights,” Johnson mentioned on his YouTube channel. “He’s gone towards the grain. He was, I felt, a really profitable combined martial artist. He’s received large wins, and he did one thing totally different. He goes, ‘I’m not going to haven’t any coach within the nook hand me water, telling me “Do that, do that. I’m going to have my girlfriend do this and save me some cash,” and he did it.

“Now he’s the ‘King of Violence.’ He’s overwhelmed two of my good mates, Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, which – these guys aren’t any joke. He has embraced and embodied bareknuckle preventing, and that’s why he will get my finest Fighter of the Yr.”

The previous longtime UFC flyweight champion defined that the character by which Perry beat Rockhold and Alvarez is what impressed him probably the most.

“There’s a factor to complete a fighter after they don’t have an choice, however when a fighter truly quits, like, ‘Hey dude, I’m completed’ – you don’t actually see that in any type of fight,” Johnson mentioned.

“Combined martial arts, you by no means see a fighter go, ‘No, I’m completed – I’m good.’ That’s the very last thing a fighter needs to do. However he made Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez do this. Granted, it was medical causes, however these guys nonetheless must self-consciously say, ‘I’m good – this sport ain’t for me.’”