Perry returns to Florida gym, ready to sprawl and brawl Oliveira

Platinum Mike Perry is back home in the Sunshine State.

Not just that he’s fighting on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida against Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira.

He has also returned to training at his home gym, Fusion X-Cel Performance in the Orlando area and is no longer based out of Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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“This camp has been with Fusion X-Cel my home gym from the beginning, it has changed names a couple times, but has always been the same trainer Julien Williams and has the likes of Jacare Souza and a lot of talent over there,” Perry told the TSN MMA Show.

The move back to Florida was a decision Perry had been contemplating for months and one that he wishes he made even earlier.

“I wanted to go back home after the Paul Felder fight,” said Perry. “Then they kinda hit me with the ‘we choose you over Cowboy (Cerrone)’ and Frank came to Orlando and he was hanging out with me and saying let’s go back.”

Perry defeated Felder via split decision at UFC 226 last July and that set up a November bout against Cerrone, who was a long time member of the Jackson Wink gym. Cerrone was unhappy the people at the gym were willing to work with Perry for the bout and a contentious split occurred.

From Perry’s perspective, he just wanted to get back to fighting for his goals and wishes he had made the move when it first crossed his mind.

“I do regret not going with my instinct, because I also feel that I didn’t want to feel like they felt I owed them again if I beat Cowboy,” said Perry. “I was caught up in their drama and I didn’t want to win and have everyone say ‘you won because of Jackson Wink, now you have to stay with Jackson Wink.’ It’s always been Platinum Mike Perry’s plan, I fight, that’s my left hook, those are the good things that I do.”

As for being in Albuquerque in the first place, Perry never saw the move as being permanent and always planed to get back to his home and his people, after gaining a little knowledge and insight from training with one of the best the sport has to offer.

“I just wanted to go out there for a little while, hang out with Jon Jones, get some training in and then go back home with the people that I care about,” said Perry. “I didn’t want to start building a new life, with new people. I’m 27-years-old, I’ve built so much with this original team of mine, these are my friends, these are my family.”

“Not saying those people weren’t good to me, they welcomed me with open arms, but that’s not what I was looking for, that’s not what I fight for. I fight for me and the people I care about, I’m not saying I don’t care about those people, but I care less about those people than the people that I have around me here at home.”

Perry has two new things on his side heading into his fight with Oliveira as he tries to get back on the winning track. A new bride and a new, freshly signed four-fight deal.

The 27-year-old was originally going into the fight as the last one on his deal and though he has the added security of a new contract, plans to fight like everything depends on this result all the same.

“I would put it all on the line, I would go in there thinking it’s do or die, it’s win or be killed and I’m still going to go in there with that mindset,” said Perry. “But I‘m still comfortable, I still have something to live for.”

As for Saturday fight, Perry is planning to return to his usual form in that area as well, though he’s ready if the fight goes to the ground.

“There are a lot of black belts at my gym, a lot of black belts so I definitely got my grappling in for this fight, but the game plan is sprawl and brawl, stand and bang and stop him from trying to drag me to the floor,” said Perry. “If I can get a takedown first and get into a good position, I’ll try and hold that position, be patient and make him make a mistake.”