Mike Perry teases new approach at UFC Uruguay

Mike Perry is now just days away from a scrap with Vicente Luque, which co-headlines Saturday’s UFC Uruguay card on ESPN+.

Ahead of this card, this Perry vs. Luque fight is viewed by many as a frontrunner for the evening’s Fight of the Night honors, due in large part to Perry’s history of unbridled aggression in the cage. Yet from the sounds of it, we may see a different version of Mike Perry than the one we’re used to.

Speaking to UFC News ahead of UFC Uruguay, Perry detailed how his mentality and approach have changed since he began his UFC career. He’s now more focused on fighting smart — both to preserve his body and win his bouts.

"I've grown up and matured, and there are smarter ways to go in there."@PlatinumPerry's approach has evolved since first entering the UFC, and he talks about how he focuses on fighting smarter than he did earlier in his career. #UFCUruguay pic.twitter.com/3uGb9ApML8

— UFC News (@UFCNews) August 7, 2019

“I’ve grown up and matured, and there are smarter ways to go in there,” Perry began. “I try to look toward the future and think about being a beat-up meathead, and how I don’t want to be that. I want to be logical and think and be able to use my brain and function.

“The crowd and our bosses say things like ‘you’ve gotta go out there and you’ve gotta try and you’ve gotta be exciting.’ Like on Contender Series for example. It’s all stuff to amp people up so that it gets in their head and they can’t stick to the game plan, which is being smart and technical and moving not getting hurt and not beating on your own body trying to hurt [your opponent]. I battle myself with it all the time. Do I want to go out there and smash my fists into this guy as many times as it takes to beat him? Or do I play the points, which I happen to be really good at?

“Now guys are better, and they see me coming a certain way, so I can see myself turning it around, for myself. Guys expect me to be one way, then I come in a totally different way and they don’t have the speed to match [me], the physicality to match, because all my years of hard efforts in my training will put me over the top.”

Do you think we’ll see a more tentative Mike Perry in the UFC Uruguay co-main event?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/7/2019.