Earlier this week, video surfaced over UFC fighter Mike Perry getting into an altercation with an old man. Reportedly, the 28-year-old actually hit three patrons at the Table 82 restaurant in Lubbock, TX around 10:30 PM on Tuesday night.
Publicly, Perry simply said, “no comment”; however, the UFC has finally made a statement regarding the incident. Released to ESPN on Thursday, the company states that the welterweight will be seeking treatment following the incident, and no fights will be offered to him until the completion of said treatment:
“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.”
Since his “no comment” statement, Perry has remained silent on the manner, though the fighter feels that he was only reacting to others touching him first. Still, no charges have been filed against Perry. Following the UFC 251 weigh-ins, White addressed the incident and the UFC President wasn’t surprised over what he saw in the video (Transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting):
“We’ve had some guys do some counseling,” White told reporters following the UFC 251 weigh-ins. “I saw this coming in the last several months with Mike Perry. All you have to do is watch his interviews. Watch the way he’s interacted with [the media].
He obviously needs some help,” White stated. “That’s not normal behavior. He’s gotten a lot more angry and agitated. You see this happen with guys, and girls when they start to get a little bit of fame, and start to get famous.”
Perry is coming off a victory over Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12. We’ll keep you updated should more news could out about this story.