Mike Perry vs. Jeremy Stephens headlines first BKFC event in New Jersey

Mike Perry is finally back in the BKFC.

The “King of Violence” has booked his next bare-knuckle fight as he faces UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens in a 175-pound showdown scheduled for the first BKFC card in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 4.

BKFC announced the pairing on The Ariel Helwani show Wednesday.

Perry, who quickly became the face of BKFC after joining the promotion, hasn’t fought there since April 2024 when he wiped out former UFC title challenger Thiago Alves just one-minute into the opening round. That brought Perry’s bare-knuckle fighting record to 5-0 with other wins including finishes over a pair of former UFC champions in Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold.

Following his most recent win, Perry took the opportunity to crossover to boxing before ultimately losing to Jake Paul with a sixth round TKO. Since that time, Perry has been waiting for his next assignment and now he’s booked for a return in October.

As for Stephens, he boasts a 3-0 record in bare-knuckle including his own win over Alvarez back in January. After that fight, Stephens actually returned to the UFC for an event booked in his home state of Iowa before losing a decision to Mason Jones.

Now back in BKFC, Stephens attempts to build on his impressive bare-knuckle record when he clashes with Perry in October.

BKFC president David Feldman told Yahoo! Sports that talks initially revolved around Darren Till but ultimately the two sides couldn’t strike a deal. Another option available was Robbie Lawler but Feldman revealed the former welterweight champion is still under UFC contract and ultimately he believes the veteran fighter is likely going to stay retired rather than returning to compete again.

In the end, Stephens took the matchup and now he’ll meet Perry in a 175-pound fight in October.