Jake Paul vs Mike Perry Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets for Tampa card's main event
After his scheduled bout with Mike Tyson was postponed, Jake Paul's ring return takes place in Florida this weekend against mixed martial artist and current Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship middleweight Mike Perry.
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Interest has waned for the event following the rescheduled opponent, especially since this was supposed to be 'The Problem Child's step up in competition against the former undisputed heavyweight champion.
DAZN will broadcast this cruiserweight eight rounder live from the Amalie Arena, with the undercard featuring unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano and former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Jake Paul vs Mike Perry Tips
It's been an understated run for Jake Paul since his first career loss to Tommy Fury in February 2023. Nate Diaz provided an immediate return to the win column in a retread of past successes against former MMA stars before successive first-round victories over Andre August and Ryan Bourland offered us very little to learn about Paul's continued development.
Problem Child's focus is likely to be avoid jeopardising his high-profile bout with Mike Tyson later this year. What better way to ensure a path of least resistance while maintaining limited credibility than to pose a familiar head-to-head with a fighter who is expected to move from their usual discipline to something less familiar.
Mike Perry has impressed on the bare knuckle boxing scene, but won't carry the same power when he laces up a pair of boxing gloves. This will carry somewhat more of a spectacle than Jake Paul's scrap with Nate Diaz did, however, we can't see an unexpected result flying in to disrupt the status quo that the former YouTuber has created for himself.
Even though Perry has made waves in his new stomping ground, he's a fighter considered to be on the decline. There are very few examples of fighters who've left the UFC and seen their stocks rise outside of the organisation. Perry does tick this box, however, losing seven of his last 10 UFC fights made signing with the BKFC a purely financial decision.
The 32-year-old has fought in this space before, losing to Kenneth McNeil nine years ago. That fight ended in a fourth-round knockout for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, but a 5-0 bare-knuckle boxing record suggests he'll be no walkover.
Paul's last two opponents were easily defeated, which isn't saying much considering both were unknown prospects and had collectively fought only once over the last three years before competing in their respective bouts.
His dance with Nate Diaz went to a unanimous decision in the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter's favour. Ultimately, his 10 fights in the squared circle have given enough ring experience to hold off the likes of Perry, who is a tough enough opponent to see this contest go the distance.
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