UFC welterweight [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] will take a rather unconventional route for his next fight.
Perry (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC), who’s currently enduring a rough stretch having lost three of his last four, is looking to change things up. Having previously trained at gyms such as Fusion XL Academy in Florida, Perry is no longer part of a team, venting his frustration on how he doesn’t see any use of having coaches give him advice when they’re not the ones competing.
So who will be in Perry’s corner the next time he steps inside the octagon? Just one person, his girlfriend, who Perry says is all he needs.
“My girlfriend, just her,” Perry told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “If not, her and her friend.”
“I’m not listening to any coaches right now,” Perry added. “Coaches who are saying things that they ain’t gonna go in there and do. They want it to be this way or this way, and like it’s a totally different way. I need a guy like me to hold mitts; I want to hold mitts for myself to be honest with you. I can show people a couple of techniques or whatever, and I’m just ready to fight for my life. … Ain’t nobody gonna take this from me.”
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This approach to coaching and training was recently adopted by Diego Sanchez, who had School of Self-Awareness founder Joshua Fabia as his lone cornerman earlier this year, a decision that’s been met with criticism.
But Perry thinks there’s no use in him having a corner.
“All I need the corner for is to pass me the bottle of water,” Perry said. “Wipe my head off or put the ice on my neck when I get hot coming in between the rounds. It’s probably not gonna go more than five minutes, and if it does, all I need is a bottle of water. I need to sip a drink, put some ice on my neck, and I don’t need no advice.
“I feel like I never really gotten advice. I feel like people just sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher in the corner. … They don’t even know what the (expletive) to say because they wouldn’t go in there and do what the (expletive) they’re talking about. I don’t really know how the coaching (expletive) works. It doesn’t really matter.”
Perry last competed in December when he suffered a first-round stoppage loss to Geoff Neal, but he’s ready to get that sour taste out of his mouth and return as soon as possible.
“June, July – I’m ready,” Perry said. “Tomorrow, tonight, yesterday, the next day. It don’t matter, bro. Any one of these mother (expletive’s) can get it at any time. Let’s go.”