Mike Perry secured a stoppage win between rounds over Nate Diaz, who was unable to continue due to cuts he sustained.
The five-round welterweight contest did not need the full time allotted as Perry damaged Diaz over two rounds and forced referee Mike Beltran to call a halt to the fight after the second round.
Perry has not competed in MMA in five years but has been active in BKFC, where he has amassed a 6-0 record, last competing in October of last year.
Diaz, 41, had been in negotiations with the UFC but signed to fight Perry on Netflix’s inaugural MMA event. It was the Stockton native’s first fight since September 2022, when he submitted Tony Ferguson at UFC 279.
Mike Perry on his 2nd Round TKO!
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🌎 NETFLIX#RouseyCarano #DiazPerry #NgannouLins pic.twitter.com/tltzRTbYIE— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) May 17, 2026
Diaz hit a Judo throw early in the fight, but Perry immediately escaped from underneath and dictated the rest of the fight with his hands. Diaz came on with jabs and several combinations, eliciting loud reactions from the Inglewood crowd, who were heavily favoring Diaz.
Perry began to bloody Diaz and sliced him with several elbow strikes. Perry continued attacking the body as Diaz seemed worn out by the second round. Diaz went down to the mat after a knee strike and was hit by Perry’s ground and pound. Perry threw another knee at Diaz before the end of the round as Diaz went down a second time as the round came to its close.
Cut man Jacob “Stitch” Duran assessed Diaz and determined he could not continue with multiple wounds sustained, and Diaz stated in the post-fight interview that he couldn’t see.
Perry said after that he’d like to fight Jake Paul in MMA or Conor McGregor. Diaz proposed having a rematch with Perry, who was Saturday’s winner, sounded game for.
Perry improved his MMA record to 15-8 and had his first win in the sport since July 2020, when he defeated Mickey Gall in the UFC.
