Mike Perry willing to take pay cut for UFC return as he reveals talks following Nate Diaz Netflix win

Mike Perry isn’t heading back to the UFC just yet but there was some communication with his team.

It was confirmed last weekend that Salahdine Parnasse has signed to the UFC and will get the rare opportunity to headline an event in his debut.

The Frenchman recently produced an impressive win on the first MMA event to air live on Netflix, which likely increased his bargaining power significantly.

While Robelis Despaigne also benefitted from this opportunity following the news of his UFC return, it doesn’t appear that ‘Platinum’ and the sport’s leading promotion are on the same page right now.

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Mike Perry says he’s taking a pay cut to fight Dillon Danis and would be willing to do the same for the UFC

Talk of a rematch between Mike Perry and Nate Diaz started immediately after their relatively one-sided bout that aired live on Netflix in May.

Despite this, Perry will be taking on Dillon Danis in his next MMA outing, with the matchup headlining Dual Arena 1 in Orlando on August 29.

‘Platinum’ recently confirmed that there was some form of communication with the UFC after he produced a big win in his return to the cage.

He even admitted that he’d be willing to make some sacrifices in order to come to terms with the MMA leader, though didn’t reveal where talks ever got to that stage.

“I’ve heard that they’ve had conversations with my team… I’m a prize fighter,” Perry said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “Fighting for the UFC is not the only prize. Fighting for money is the prize. Life-changing money and opportunity is the prize. I’m sure I would take a bit of a pay cut to go back to the UFC but I don’t know how big that pay cut is. I’m taking one now to fight Dillon Danis.”

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Perry competed 15 times inside the UFC Octagon from 2016 to 2021, going 7-8 in that time.

He was certainly one of the biggest personalities on the roster and produced some highlights in this run, but the 34-year-old has become a much bigger star since parting ways with the promotion.

His run in BKFC in particular, where he’s beaten the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold, has made him into a notable combat sports star.

Whether the UFC would be willing to pay anywhere near what he can make elsewhere for a fighter who has had only one MMA bout in the past five years remains to be seen.