Mike Perry may have fallen short in his bid to beat Jake Paul in Florida earlier this month, but the former UFC fighter has reason to be bullish: he’s started his own combat sports outfit, Dirty Boxing Championship.

‘Platinum’ Perry, who says Paul broke his rib with the bout’s opening punch and later lost by sixth-round TKO, follows in the footsteps of Dana White who famously quit boxing to help establish the UFC.

Dirty Boxing Championship combines MMA with regular boxing, with combatants sporting five-ounce gloves and duking it out in an 18-foot ring. Although grappling, kicking and submissions are prohibited, a rule stipulates that fighters can ground and pound fallen opponents as in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Old-School Fighting

Although not exactly similar, DBC is more akin to early 20th century boxing than anything else. In that era referees were much more lenient when adjudicating on the dark art of boxing: rules were often bent, and if a fighter was knocked down the attacker could hover over them and resume throwing punches as soon as they rose. 

Modern boxing, by comparison, dictates that a pugilist go to a neutral corner after scoring a knockdown, after which the referee determines if action can resume. Use of elbows is strictly forbidden, a rule which refs were much more lax about in the 30s and 40s.

Brawler Perry has confirmed that he will take some time off to let his rib injury heal, but he’s unlikely to be twiddling his thumbs given the work involved in launching Dirty Boxing Championship. Rumors suggest Jake Paul may be interested in joining the fledgling league, while Perry has said he expects to put the organization’s first fight on ‘sometime this year’.

With its hybrid rules, DBC can expect to attract a motley crew of MMA fighters, boxers, Muay Thai pros, and bare-knuckle brawlers. Fights will take place over three three-minute rounds, with championship bouts having five rounds and weight classes expected to follow the poundage of UFC.

“We envision Dirty Boxing as a visually compelling and explosive contest of wills between fighters,” Perry said via a press release. “Opponents will box the sweet science of boxing with gloves like an MMA fighter, with the freedom to throw elbows like a Thai fighter. And when the action hits the ground, fighters can keep punching to finish the fight.”

Promoter and Fighter?

Although licking his wounds from the Paul defeat, Perry has indicated that he would consider participating in DBC, which has been launched in collaboration with Josh McLean of Kanpai Media and Adam Kovacs of Karate Combat. 

Distinguishing its organization and the UFC, the DBC website refers to “A talent-first focus with an emphasis on safety and fair pay,” and calls itself a “league by and for the fighters.”