UFC Releases Statement on Mike Perry’s Alleged Fight in Restaurant

The UFC has released a statement on the situation involving fighter Mike Perry. More coming to ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4aPffa7cfl

— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) July 10, 2020

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A polarizing figure on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster is now seeking professional help, according to the promotion.

On Thursday evening, the UFC put out a statement to ESPN, where the Las Vegas-based company expressed its concern for welterweight Mike Perry. The UFC also wrote that Perry has sought professional treatment, including counseling for substance abuse and his behavior. He will not be given another fight until he goes through these processes.

On Wednesday night, a video surfaced of Perry appearing to get in a fight with patrons at a restaurant in Lubbock, Texas. In addition to Perry punching an older man, the video also shows “Platinum” shouting out a slew of racial slurs when he was separated from the others.

According to MMAFighting, the police report wrote that Perry assaulted three individuals in this incident. Perry is to be charged with a misdemeanor of Class A assault, but an arrest warrant has not been issued. TMZ added that the man Perry punched was hospitalized as a result, and also that Perry also struck an employee when asked to leave the restaurant.

Prior to his appearance at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, Perry displayed an unusual behavior at Media Day, which drew concerns from media members regarding Perry’s health and well-being. Having left his team of Fusion X-Cel as well as Jackson-Wink MMA prior to that, Perry opted to bring only recent girlfriend Latory Gonzalez to the cage with him for his bout with Mickey Gall. Perry won the fight by decision, and in his post-fight interview, lamented his debts and aired grievances with the U.S. government.

The UFC’s full statement reads as follows:

“UFC is aware and troubled by the video that was released last night concerning Mike Perry. The conduct displayed by Perry is not reflective of that of our organization. Perry apologized for his behavior and acknowledged he was disappointed with himself that his actions may have reflected poorly on UFC. He further acknowledged that he believes he has some issues related to alcohol abuse and has informed UFC that he has committed to immediately seek professional treatment, including substance and behavioral counseling. At this time, UFC has informed Perry that he will not be offered a bout, and the parties have agreed to evaluate next steps for Perry following the completion of his treatment program.”