Mike Perry Says He Might ‘Bite Santiago Ponzinibbio’s Finger Off’

On the strength of a two-fight win streak, rising UFC welterweight Mike “Platinum” Perry will attempt to bulldoze his way onto the official UFC rankings by defeating No. 10-ranked Santiago Ponzinibbio on the main card of this Saturday’s (December 16, 2017) UFC on FOX 26 from the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Canada.

One of the most colorful personalities in MMA throughout 2017, “Platinum” will face by far his biggest test in the Brazilian “Gente Boa,” but that didn’t stop Perry from predicting a vicious first-round knockout while speaking to MMA Junkie in Winnipeg today:

“I’m going to stand in the middle of the octagon, and he’s going to bounce around and move and try to find that range,” Perry said. “I’m going to time that range, and he’s going to come in, and I’m not going to move. I’m going to slip out of the way and catch him with the counter, and I’m going to knock him out, unconscious, in the first round – guaranteed.

Perry continued to blast his upcoming foe by berating Ponzinibbio’s fighting style, fixating on Gunnar Nelson’s suggestion that he had poked him in the eye during their recent match-up. “Platinum” had little respect for Ponzinibbio’s punches, adding that if he tried to poke him in the eye and errantly put his finger in his mouth instead, he may bite it off:

“He likes to throw punches like a middle school girl,” Perry said. “He likes to open his fingers. I don’t know if he’s trying to palm at the hands. I’ve seen some videos where he was literally trying to stick his fingers in people’s eye. He also does this one, too, where he sticks the knuckle if he can land it in your eye.

“I like that. Come with it. If your finger goes in my mouth, it might get bit off.”

Perry even went as far as to have his teammates poke him in the eye to get a feel for potential actions while training for the fight:

“I was like, ‘No, keep going, that’s good. It didn’t stop me or phase me for one second. This is what I do. I live for the pain.”