Mike Perry suffers massive pay cut for Dual Arena MMA fight after Dillon Danis

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Mike Perry is not having a great weekend.

The 34-year-old combat sports star was expected to face Dillon Danis on Saturday in the headlining MMA bout of “Duel: Arena,” the debut event from online crypto casino and sportsbookDuelBet. For Perry, a well-known UFC veteran and bare-knuckle boxing standout, it represented yet another big-name bout following his successful MMA return in May with a stoppage of Nate Diaz on MVP MMA's Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on Netflix.

But everything changed on Thursday when Danis abruptly pulled out of the event, forcing promoters to secure the little-known Brandon Jenkins as a replacement.

A frustrated Perry (15-8 MMA) proclaimed Thursday at the event’s pre-fight press conference that he was forced to “take a massive pay cut to take this new fight,” stating:

“It’s f***** up, man. It makes me think this was always their plan. … You’d think accepting something last second would give you more, rather than much less.”

Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani subsequently confirmed Perry’s pay claims, revealing Friday that Perry has gotten a “50% purse cut” for the new fight, despite accepting a more dangerous opponent on just two days’ notice.

Danis (3-0) posted a video to Instagram Thursday showing off a grisly arm injury with the caption, "S*** happens in the fight game. Beyond disappointed." This, however, is far from the first time the controversial American has pulled out from a combat sports event.

Prior to this year, Perry hadn't competed in MMA since exiting the UFC in 2021. Over that five-year gap, he emerged as the face of bare-knuckle boxing, rattling off a perfect 6-0 record in BKFC buoyed by brutal wins over a cascade of UFC veterans, including former champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez, and current contender Michael Page.

Jenkins (17-11), ironically, earned a split decision win over Diaz’s longtime friend and training partner, Chris Avila, on the same MVP MMA show Perry competed on. He fought twice for the UFC from 2021-22, losing both bouts via TKO stoppages.

Saturday’s updated “Dual: Arena” fight card, which begins at 7 p.m. ET and airs on pay-per-view can be seen below.

  • MMA: Mike Perry vs. Brandon Jenkins

  • Kickboxing: Paul “Gypsy Crusader” Miller vs. Ben “King” Azoulay

  • Boxing: Jimi Manuwa vs. Chase Sherman

  • MMA: Blake Anthony vs. Nate Morrow

  • Boxing: Phil Rowe vs. Javanis J. Ross

  • Boxing: Ryan Pownall vs. Patrick Clark Jr.

  • MMA: Alex Nicholson vs. Brad Taylor

  • Boxing: Jack Grady vs. Wade Stokan

  • MMA: AJ Cunningham vs. Joe Penafiel

  • Boxing: Daniel Cao vs. Mason Ajester

  • Boxing: Shane King vs. Thomas Phillips