Knockout-minded striker will meet submission-centric grappler when Mike Perry tackles Mickey Gall in the UFC on ESPN 12 co-main event this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While their encounter carries no significant ramifications for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division, it still provides plenty of stylistic intrigue.
Perry has supplied non-stop action for the company since he joined the roster in 2016. The Fusion X-Cel representative finds himself on a two-fight losing streak for just the second time in his career. Perry last appeared at UFC 245, where he succumbed to a first-round head kick and follow-up punches from Geoff Neal on Dec. 14. It followed a split decision defeat to Vicente Luque four months earlier and saw the Floridian’s UFC record fall to .500 at 6-6.
Gall rebounded from a technical knockout loss to Diego Sanchez with a unanimous decision over Salim Touahri at UFC on ESPN 5 in August. The outspoken New Jersey native has compiled a 5-2 record inside the Octagon despite his lack of experience, more than holding his own against decent competition. Gall remains a work in progress on the feet.
As Perry and Gall approach their co-headliner, a look at some of the numbers that have come to define them:
28: Years of age for Perry. He was born in Flint, Michigan, on Sept. 15, 1991.
11: Perry victories by knockout or technical knockout. They account for 85 percent of his career total.
1: Submission loss on Perry’s resume. He tapped to an armbar from Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 139 in 2018.
7: First-round finishes for Perry, including a 79-second knee-strike knockout of Alex Reyes under the UFC Fight Night 116 banner a little less than three years ago.
4: Post-fight performance bonuses banked by Perry in 12 appearances in the UFC. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” twice and “Fight of the Night” twice, resulting in $200,000 in additional income.
28: Years of age for Gall. He was born on Jan. 22, 1982 in Green Brook, New Jersey.
5: Gall wins by submission, all five by rear-naked choke. The David Adiv-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has throttled Ron Templeton, Mike Jackson, Phil “CM Punk” Brooks, Sage Northcutt and George Sullivan.
45: Seconds needed for Gall to submit Jackson in his February 2016 promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 82. It remains the quickest finish of his eight-fight career.
20: Significant strikes landed by Gall in his rout of the aforementioned Brooks at UFC 203. The former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar connected with zero in return.
2: Gall fights that have gone the distance. He owns a 1-1 record in those bouts, having lost a unanimous decision to Randy Brown at UFC 217 and having outpointed Touahri at UFC on ESPN 5.