Daniel Cormier Makes Bold Prediction for Jake Paul vs Mike Perry

HIGHLIGHTS

Jake Paul has agreed to fight Mike Perry before he takes on Mike Tyson in November.
Perry is unbeaten in his bare-knuckle boxing career since leaving the UFC.
Daniel Cormier is backing Perry to spring an upset.

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has backed Mike Perry to win his upcoming boxing bout with social media sensation Jake Paul. The pair are set to do battle in a professional contest on the 20th of July in Florida – on a date which had been set aside for Paul to face Mike Tyson – before health issues ruled out the heavyweight icon.

Former UFC fighter Perry has found a new lease of life since swapping the Octagon for the world of bare-knuckle boxing. The 32-year-old is unbeaten in five bouts in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and is considered a live underdog to upset ‘The Problem Child’.

Among those backing Perry to get the better of Paul is Cormier, who believes that ‘Platinium’ can take his less experienced opponent out of his element by turning the contest into an ugly brawl.

Daniel Cormier Explains How Mike Perry Can Beat Jake Paul

Paul has only tasted defeat once in his professional career

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier suggested that Paul’s height and reach advantage wouldn’t be enough to overcome the battle-hardened Perry. ‘DC’ has in-depth knowledge of Perry’s toughness, having watched him defeat close pal Luke Rockhold in a BKFC bout.

“Can Mike Perry stalk him [Paul] in the way that he stalks these guys in bare-knucke [fighting]? And does the damage make Jake Paul start to question himself like it did to Rockhold [when he fought Perry]?” Cormier asked.

“What we’ve learned about Jake is that he possesses enough skills to cause problems for many in the boxing ring. He’s going to be bigger than Perry, and he’s going to have more boxing experience, but does that equate? If I’m being honest, I believe that Mike Perry wins this fight. I think he’s going to make this fight just ugly enough to beat Jake.”

However, despite siding with Perry, Cormier warned that Paul should be overlooked. He declared: “If Perry’s gameplan isn’t ideal, he will find himself in dangerous areas. And Jake Paul can crack!”

Perry has taken the scalps of two former UFC champions since signing with BKFC in 2021. Both ex-middleweight titleholder Rockhold and former lightweight king Eddie Alvarez have found themselves on the wrong end of a beating from the promotion’s biggest star. With that said, a win over Paul would undoubtedly be the biggest of his combat sports career to date.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Jake Paul has won nine of his 10 professional fights, with his only defeat coming at the hands of Tommy Fury.

There’s plenty on the line for Jake, too. The Perry fight will take place less than five months before Paul is set to step into the ring with Tyson in their money-spinning November clash. Should Paul fall to an emphatic defeat against Perry, it’s tough to see how Tyson vs Paul can go ahead as planned.