Mike Perry batters, bloodies Nate Diaz into corner stoppage - ESPN

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In a battle between the founder of the UFC's BMF championship and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's «King of Violence» titleholder, it was BKFC's Mike Perry who reigned supreme Saturday night, battering Nate Diaz and winning by TKO after Diaz's corner stopped the fight after Round 2.

The clash of welterweights served as the co-main event for Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural MMA card at Intuit Dome, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.

Perry doled out a violent beating that resulted in a bloodied Diaz being unable to answer the call for Round 3, a somber finish for a cult hero who made his return to MMA for the first time in nearly four years.

«I hit him with really good shots,» Perry said. «I was getting really tired, but I kept hitting him. He's tough and there's no quit in him. We got the job done tonight.»

Perry's combat sports career saw a resurgence as a bare-knuckle fighter following his departure from the UFC in 2021. He has gone 6-0 in BKFC with wins over Michael «Venom» Page, Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez and Jeremy Stephens while also winning the symbolic «King of Violence» championship. He took a detour into boxing, losing to Jake Paul by knockout in 2024.

Diaz's last MMA fight came in September 2022, when he submitted Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Since then, Diaz has competed in two boxing matches, a decision loss to Jake Paul in 2023 and a majority decision win against Jorge Masvidal in 2024.

Perry charged at Diaz, 41, from the opening bell, launching hooks and kicks at the Stockton, California, fighter. Diaz attempted to stifle the surging Perry's momentum with a hip toss and took the fight to the canvas.

When the fighters reset, Perry swarmed Diaz, doubling him over with a hook