Mike Perry didn’t have a run-of-the-mill fight camp in the leadup to UFC on ESPN 12.
At a virtual media day held Thursday, Perry (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) described his unusual physical and mental preparation for his co-main event welterweight fight against Mickey Gall.
In a previous interview with MMA Junkie, Perry had revealed the lone corner for this fight would be his girlfriend, who does not have a martial arts background. Despite not being on a specific team with designated coaches, Perry said he thought his training camp wasn’t much different.
“I can’t say it was much different than any training camp I’ve ever had,” Perry told MMA Junkie. “I got my roadwork in. I’ve got good food in my diet. I drank a lot of water and punching the air. I had some training partners and some bodies to work with that were down to listen and do it my way. I’m going to go in there on Saturday night and do it my way.”
The physical preparations were unusual, yes. However, the mental preparations may have been more atypical. Perry said watching cartoons and taking a trip to theme parks helped keep him locked in.
“I was in Lovett, Texas getting ready for this fight,” Perry said. “I did travel to Florida for a little bit. I watched a lot of episodes of ‘Naruto’. I watched the whole three seasons of the ‘Avatar The Airbender’. That was good for mental training. I walked around Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We went swimming in the Volcano Bay. That was good training. We ate at lots of restaurants. We ordered good, healthy food – lots of big steaks.”
As for the fight against Gall (6-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Perry indicated his fight purse was his main motivation. However, Perry indicated he plans on breaking Gall’s jaw.
“Let’s keep it simple, bro,” Perry said. “We’re getting paid. There ain’t nothing to it but to do it, man. What can I say? I’m sure he’s trained hard. Good for you, bud. Y’all have a good life. Be healthy. Eat another salad. That’s gonna fix your broken jaw that you get this Saturday.
So what’s Perry’s final prediction for Saturday?
“Knockout,” Perry said. “Imma knock his ass out. I’m going to knock Mickey Gall out.”
UFC on ESPN 12 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
'Naruto' and Universal Studios: Mike Perry describes unusual UFC on ESPN 12 prep
