Mike Perry reveals BKFC discussed Darren Till, Dillon Danis as Knuckle Mania 4 options before Thiago Alves

Mike Perry wasn’t expecting Thiago Alves as his next opponent.

Former UFC standouts Perry and Alves will meet in the BKFC Knuckle Mania 4 main event April 27 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Alves is 2-0 under the BKFC banner but hasn’t competed since a 2021 win over Ulysses Diaz.

“He wasn’t really on my radar,” Perry told MMA Junkie Radio. “He wasn’t something that we were talking about and then I got the call that it was him. I figured it was going to be a name that we hadn’t thought of really, and I figured it would be fitting and it’s what the company wants, and I’ll take it. Let’s go to work.”

Perry said the promotion was initially looking to match him up against either longtime rival Darren Till, or Dillon Danis, which surprised him a little bit.

“They were trying to make the Darren Till one happen. He still sends me messages talking sh*t to me,” Perry said. “But I’m like, I’m pretty sure they tried to make it happen, why didn’t you take it? I mean, that’s fine. There was also Dillon Danis they were talking about.

“I don’t know how big that would have been to the crowd, to the bareknuckle fans, or maybe it would have brought in many new bareknuckle fans. But considering he lost a boxing match, I don’t know how much sense that would have made. I thought Thiago made sense because his experience, and he had a belt in bareknuckle.”