UFC-Pittsburgh winner Mike Perry on Robbie Lawler callout: 'If you don't ask, you won't receive'

Mike Perry knows he might not get his wish of fighting Robbie Lawler. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.

Perry (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) added yet another victim to his list this Saturday, when a knee put a quick end to the meeting with last-minute replacement Alex Reyes (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 116. Much like the exciting finish, what followed was something that has come to be expected from the audacious welterweight in the octagon: post-fight shenanigans.

This time, they included a mesmerizing rooster dance and the ambitious callout of Lawler, an ex-titleholder who might be the next in line for a title shot against champ Tyron Woodley.

Whether the matchup will materialize, Perry doesn’t know. But hey, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, right?

“I want to fight the champ,” Perry told MMAjunkie backstage after the main card bout, which aired live on FS1 from at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. “I want to fight to get that belt. And if you don’t ask, you won’t receive. So I may not get those fights, but I’m prepared for those fights as soon as they want to give them to me. We’ll see who wants to come to Detroit and fight me.”

Regardless of who he ends up meeting, Perry doesn’t see why he wouldn’t be able to land the aforementioned UFC 218 spot on Dec. 2. And, considering he left Saturday’s bout without a single scratch, it’s not like he has a big medical suspension to hold him back.

Perry has reasons to feel good about his night in Pittsburgh. After adding an 11th finish to a list of career wins that features nothing but knockouts, Perry has also added $50,000 to his bank account. It was his second post-bonus in a row, after an elbow that dismantled Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 108.

But don’t expect him to go too crazy with it. We’d already been introduced to the destructive finisher with the big talk and flashy ways. Now, meet Mike Perry, the wise investor.

“I guess they must have heard that I spent the first bonus wisely and bought a house,” Perry said. “So I need that second one now to pay my mortgage.

“(I) might have a little fun, do a little vacay or something, something small. But maybe pay a little more on the mortgage payments to take some of that interest off.”

Perry’s night, however, didn’t go entirely as planned. After all, originally set to meet former title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, he went from fighting a “legend” to welcoming an opponent from a lower weight division to the UFC on three days’ notice.

If, on the one hand, he can’t deny that thanks to “crazy guy” Reyes he was able to stay on the card, there’s not much else Perry can do for him.

“I don’t know what I say to that guy,” Perry said. “I mean, ‘Sorry?’ No? OK. I mean, what do I say, man? ‘Thanks for showing up?’ I see why Thiago didn’t.”

While the disappointment of not fighting Alves was clear, Perry does seem to be aiming a little higher up in the rankings at this point. So, after yet another statement-making win, has the Alves ship sailed?

“I wouldn’t say it’s sailed,” Perry said. “I would say that, for me to accept that fight and sign that contract, some things have got to be changed because he put me in a predicament by taking that fight.

“I know the kudos go to my opponent, who took the fight on three days’ notice. But I had to take a fight with a guy who I didn’t prepare for, either. Anything could have happened. If I took a fight with somebody on three days’ notice, I probably would have won.”

Despite the general comment on the size advantage that he would have over natural lightweight Reyes, Perry says he didn’t see that much of a difference in there. After all, a former lightweight himself, he says he entered the bout weighing no more than 176 pounds.

But, although Perry believes he’s “got to be the smallest welterweight” compared to his peers, a return to 155 is not on the plans. Why? “Platinum” explains – and drops some wisdom bombs in the process.

“It’s about dieting properly, taking care of your body, exercising,” Perry said. “Feeling good inside. That’s the most important – it’s feeling good on the inside, and then you can perform to the best of your abilities.

“That’s what it’s about. I don’t care what size you are. You guys (have) seen me beat giants before.”

To hear more from Perry, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Fight 116, check out the UFC Events section of the site.