American MMA bad boy brawls with Russian rival at press conference (VIDEO)

Mike Perry briefly threw down with Russian veteran Magomed Ismailov

Former UFC star-turned-bareknuckle boxer Mike Perry rarely strays too far from controversy and has once again found himself creating combat sports headlines, this time after getting involved in a brawl with a Russian fighter with whom he isn’t even scheduled to compete against. 

Perry, who recently defeated Bellator standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page in the BKFC ring, is currently in Moscow where he is acting as the cornerman to his friend and training partner Alex ‘The Spartan’ Nicholson, who is due to feature at the Ren TV Fight Club event in the Russian capital later this week.

But even though ‘Platinum’ isn't scheduled to fight himself, that didn't stop promoters placing him in a staredown with Russian MMA standout Magomed Ismailov at a publicity event to promote the fight – but as Perry later explained, a throwaway insult he suspects was somewhat lost in translation was responsible for what became a tense confrontation between he and Ismailov.

This might be one of the most random match ups in recent memory. Heated Face Off between Magomed Ismailov vs Mike Perry pic.twitter.com/Kk0L2XCsmW

— Matysek (@Matysek88) September 27, 2022

“I'm too fast for you,” Perry can be heard saying to Ismailov as the two squared off and threatened to throw strikes at each other. “What you got, motherf**ker?”

The scuffle was quickly broken up but not before a couple of punches were thrown, though none of them landed with any real degree of force.

And as Perry detailed on social media afterwards, he suspects a throwaway insult commonly used in the United States proved to be the impetus for Ismailov's anger.

“I almost got jumped in there but luckily people broke it up,” he said on Instagram.

“In Russia, if you call someone a ‘motherf**ker,’ they think you talking about someone’s mom, so then the whole team comin’ to get you. But in America when you say ‘motherf**ker,’ it’s like normal words, motherf**ker.

“It’s normal, man, I’m not talking about your mama. Chill bro, one on one.”

Ismailov, though, will have an opportunity to let off some steam after the encounter when he fights Serbian star Aleksandar Ilic in an upcoming boxing match.