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UFC's Mike Perry Deletes Tweet Saying He's Not Guilty in Fight Caught on Video

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistJuly 12, 2020

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 27: Mike Perry prepares to fight Mickey Gall in their welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 27, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Unger/Getty Images

In a since-deleted tweet, UFC fighter Mike Perry called himself not guilty in reference to a physical altercation at a restaurant in Lubbock, Texas.

According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Lubbock police are investigating Perry for misdemeanor assault, and he's "accused of striking multiple people." A video allegedly showed him punching a man outside of the restaurant (warning: video contains violence, use of racial slur and profanity):

MMA Eejit 🇮🇪 @MMAEejit

Mike Perry in a bar fight last night over someone “touching him”. This is pretty disgusting behaviour from a UFC calibre fighter. Acting like a complete child. https://t.co/ZAuxZTtXtW

The 28-year-old appeared to defend his actions early Sunday morning on social media:

Matthew Wells @MrMWellsArt

This deleted tweet from Mike Perry where he posted screenshots of the First and Second Amendment of the US Constitution to justify his role in the bar fight. 🤔 https://t.co/ClHos4qrfM

Perry could also be heard using a racial slur.

Raimondi shared a statement from UFC about the incident:

"UFC is aware and troubled by the video that was released last night concerning Mike Perry. The conduct displayed by Perry is not reflective of that of our organization. Perry apologized for his behavior and acknowledged he was disappointed with himself that his actions may have reflected poorly on UFC. He further acknowledged that he believes he has some issues related to alcohol abuse and has informed UFC that he has committed to immediately seek professional treatment, including substance and behavioral counseling. At this time, UFC has informed Perry that he will not be offered a bout, and the parties have agreed to evaluate next steps for Perry following the completion of his treatment program."

UFC President Dana White said he "saw this coming the last several months" based on Perry's generally confrontational behavior, per MMA Junkie's Nolan King and John Morgan.

MMAFighting.com @MMAFighting

Dana White says #UFC will offer support to Mike Perry following recent bar incident: "He obviously needs some help. That's not normal behavior… We're going to do everything we can to help him." Watch full video: https://t.co/wUUBmTcXpE https://t.co/5Kn3VjvD4Y

TMZ Sports obtained the police report, which said the man Perry hit appeared to be unconscious after being struck and "was experiencing memory problems due to the injury and didn't remember the punch or aftermath." Witnesses said Perry also hit a woman who was a friend of his girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez.

Per Raimondi, the restaurant's general manager told authorities Perry got into an argument with a male patron, who challenged Perry to a fight. Perry allegedly slapped the man before striking Gonzalez's friend.

Perry told authorities both the patron and general manager had put their hands on him, which caused him to react. He denied hitting either the man or Gonzalez's friend during the altercation.

Perry most recently fought on June 27, winning a unanimous decision over Mickey Gall at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker. He debuted with UFC in August 2016 and has a 7-6 record with the promotion.