Former UFC fighter and bare-knuckle boxing stand-out Mike Perry has found himself in trouble with the law.
Perry was arrested last weekend by the Clermont Police Department and charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence, per records first obtained by MMA Fighting. He was also charged with refusing to sign a citation to require a court appearance.
Perry, 33, was pulled over on early Saturday morning after allegedly going 20 miles per hour over a speed limit.
In body camera footage obtained by TMZ, Perry was seen denying intoxication after a police officer alleged that he smelled like alcohol. “Now that I’m this close to you, it smells like you’ve been drinking. Is that the case?” the police officer asked. Perry claimed that he hadn’t consumed any alcohol earlier in the night.
“You’re talking a little slow and I can smell it coming out of this side,” the police officer said.
“You’re talking a little fast,” Perry replied.
After initially refusing to take a field sobriety test, Perry was informed that he would have to instead be taken into custody. He continued to refuse to take the test, causing the police to detain him.
Perry, who became aggravated after being arrested, repeatedly called the police officers a homophobic slur and insulted them while being packed into the back of a cruiser.
He was released later that day on a $1,500 bond.
Perry has found himself in controversy many times in the past. In 2020, an ex-wife of Perry went public in an interview with MMA Junkie alleging a long series of verbal and physical abuse she suffered while in a five-year relationship with the then-UFC fighter.
While he hasn’t been on the UFC roster since 2021, Perry has continued to be a big name in the combat sports world. He has become a headlining act for bare-knuckle boxing promotion BKFC over the past two years and faced Jake Paul in a boxing bout earlier this year.
