Mike Perry opens up on sparring with UFC star Sean Strickland: ‘It’s not something I prepared myself for’

Mike Perry recently linked up for a sparring session with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

Apparently, it was something the BKFC star had been meaning to do for a while.

Perry opened up on the experience of sparring with Strickland in an interview with MMA Fighting.

“We’ve talked about it a few times and I went out of my way to make it happen,” Perry said. “I had to go to Vegas. Obviously he’s the big name and ‘Platinum’s’ got his own name, his own power going on, but that was kind of my choice to make and I made sure I wrote him and contacted him and we talked. I sent him my number, he hit me up and [he’s] such a great guy.

“Sean Strickland was trying to get me to ride dirt bikes and I shoot guns out there in the desert of Las Vegas and I just didn’t have the time, but I could stop by. You guys got sparring at 10 a.m. on this day? OK, I’ll be there.”

Mike Perry explains what it is like to spar with former UFC champ Sean Strickland

Perry landed some good shots in Strickland in their sparring session. However, he admits he was not in top shape, and struggled with his training partner’s size. He also admits the Las Vegas altitude was an issue.

“I showed up, I went, I did some warmups. I did a round with someone else, and then I did a round with Sean—who’s very big by the way,” Perry said. “He’s got, at least, 35 pounds on me and it was nice to see his his style and how he is and and feel some of those punches. Obviously that’s a ‘Platinum’ pressure style that I had to use to get myself close to him to even try to make contact.

“Sean was very defensive and I can make you very tired just by blocking a lot of your punches, or taking some of them right on the forehead. When I’m in that type of shape, plus elevation in Las Vegas, it’s not something I prepared myself for. I just showed up at the gym and did it, a five-minute round with Sean Strickland.”

Strangely, Mike Perry and Sean Strickland got quite a bit of hate after footage of their sparring session emerged.

Perry, who is no stranger to criticism, is taking it in stride.

“Obviously, he’ll work with you probably, because most people don’t want to go for Sean Strickland for five minutes, and if they did, we would see what would happen to him,” Perry said. “Any of those punches that I had to take just to roll off the shoulder would have dropped a lot of folks that are in the comments talking. But I wanted to give you guys the entertainment and show you guys. It was cool to spar Sean, man. I like his capabilities.

“Imagine if I have the cardio to go three, five-minute minute rounds with him? That pressure of me blocking those punches with my forehead. I’m going to make you so tired, you’re going to look for a way out. I don’t care who you are. And Sean will put you out and I’ll put you out too.

“So don’t be hating and I’m out here elevating. I’m lifting people up.”