Mike Perry didn’t accept Darren Till’s offer to be his cornerman, instead revealing that his girlfriend and a friend will be there for him.
[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s corner is mostly set for his UFC 255 fight with Tim Means on Saturday night, and while he admits it’s not bursting with coaching experience, Perry is content to be accompanied by people who mean a lot to him.
During UFC 255 virtual media day, Perry (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) explained that a friend by the name of Matthew will team up with his pregnant girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez, to work his corner against Means (30-12-1 MMA, 12-9 UFC).
“This is all me, this is what I do – ‘Platinum Martial Arts,'” Perry told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday. “I’ve got the love of my life; that’s the most important thing to me. That’s motivational and, I guess, moral support, you know? I just want those people closest to me, the people that I feel are important to me, to be the ones who deserve to sit by me and watch me try to do something special.”
Perry went on to explain that Gonzalez will be joined by one of his friends, while the presence of another possible corner member, former UFC light heavyweight and PFL heavyweight Alex Nicholson, remains up in the air.
“Yeah, my boy Matthew (will be in my corner). He’s a good guy. He kinda just fell into the situation, and he’s helped out with me and Latory and helped us out,” Perry explained. “He knows my boy Alex, and me and Alex have been working to be in the corner this weekend and whatever. I don’t know what’s going on with that, but I wanted to give my buddy an opportunity, and I’m gonna go to work on Saturday – me and the team.”
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When pressed on his friend’s knowledge of MMA, Perry admitted that it was another example of a friend being thrust into unfamiliar territory as a professional cornerman.
“He knows some things about fighting, but he’s not really … I mean, he’s in the world now, isn’t he?” Perry said. “I like to do that. I like to bring people in. They thought my girl had no experience, but look at her now. Her and my son have already got a win in the UFC, in the corner, handling business.”
Gonzalez was Perry’s lone corner person in his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Mickey Gall on June 27.
One man who won’t be in Perry’s corner is British middleweight Darren Till. Perry and Till have had a simmering rivalry for the last few years, going back to Till’s days as a contender in the welterweight division. But while notorious social media joker Till offered to be the highest bidder when Perry suggested putting a corner spot up for auction, Perry wasn’t keen.
But when it was suggested to “Platinum” that Till actually could have done a good job in his corner, he revealed grudging respect between the pair, even though there is clearly no love lost – from his side, at least.
“It’s an understanding between martial artists,” Perry said. “When you see something that you have to respect, you respect it. So, that’s the way he sees me, because I’ve busted his face before, and I do have a type of respect for him.
“I know he’s capable. I know he is skilled, sure. I can’t take that away from him, no matter how much of a piece of (expletive) I think he is. But that doesn’t change the fact. None of it matters.”
UFC 255 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.
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