Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry Prediction, Pick and Odds

Jake Paul briefly flirted with a "real" boxing career in the past year but on July 20 will be back to facing another former UFC welterweight when he meets BKFC star Mike Perry in the ring.

Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) is set for his second fight of 2024 after demolishing Ryan Bourland in March with a first-round TKO. Since losing to Tommy Fury in February 2023, Paul has strung together a three-fight win streak to regain some of his lost momentum.

Perry (0-1 in boxing, 5-0 in BKFC) has become one of the biggest stars in combat sports since being released by the UFC in 2021. The 32-year-old has found his niche in the BKFC, going undefeated in bare-knuckle boxing as the promotion's King of Violence with notable wins over Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, Michael 'Venom' Page and Thiago Alves.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry odds and round total

Odds below via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Jake Paul -425
• Mike Perry +300

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry best bet

Along with DAZN, Paul's camp has done a great job of promoting Perry as a feared Goliath-like figure with his BKFC success. Perry, to his credit, has done the same by taking advantage of the chance to introduce himself to a new audience.

While everything about Perry is true, it is only applicable in a bare-knuckle setting. Boxing is the sweet science, but BKFC is an all-out brawl. Perry thrives in that setting and if that is where this fight would be occurring, Paul would have no shot. There are some factors that exist in both worlds but comparing the two is much like sizing up tennis and badminton.

Once they are both in the ring, Paul will continue his trend of being the significantly larger fighter. He is not levels above Perry as a boxer but is still much more technical with a five-inch reach advantage.

Perry has not made his approach a secret, repeating his plan of pressuring Paul and pushing him for all eight rounds. There is a path to success with that, especially with the way Paul began to fade late against Nate Diaz, but Perry is prone to leaving himself open to counters and clinch scenarios, a tactic 'The Problem Child' loves to employ.

Entering his 11th professional fight, Paul has won 60 percent of his outings by knockout but the notoriously durable Perry has only been stopped twice in his entire combat career. Granted, his lone boxing bout ahead of July 20 was a knockout loss, but that came after just his second professional MMA fight. In the cage, Perry has only been knocked out once by a head kick from Geoff Neal.

A lot in this matchup mirrors that of Paul's recent win over Diaz. With a massive paycheck on the horizon for Paul in a massive fight with Mike Tyson expected later in the year, too much is on the line for the 27-year-old to lose.

Prediction and best bet: Jake Paul by decision (+250)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.