Top ranked bantamweight in the region, Jay "The Joker" Perrin (10-4), got the call of a life time earlier this week. Perrin has been grinding on the New England regional scene for 10 years, and many of us here in New England have known for quite some time that it wasn't IF Perrin would make it to the UFC, but WHEN. We got our answer earlier this week when Perrin dropped on social media that he'd be making his UFC debut on short notice out in Las Vegas, his new place of residence.
The always vocal Perrin claimed the Cage Titans bantamweight belt back in January of 2020 at Cage Titans 47. He then moved on and snagged the CES 135 strap last September at CES 64 after taking out Josh Smith. "The Joker" is 7-1 in his last 8 fights, with his only loss coming on The Contender Series, which many people thought that he actually won.
After uprooting his life here in New England a year ago, Perrin now resides in Las Vegas, and has been training at one of the best camps in the world at Syndicate MMA under coach John Wood. He's been honing his skills, and waiting for the call from the big leagues, but he also had a bout lined up on March 4th to defend his CES bantamweight belt, but those plans have obviously been pushed aside for the biggest opportunity that you can come by in the sport.
Perrin will be taking on 4 fight UFC vet Maurio Batista (8-2) on 6 days notice, and he made weight today (136 lbs), because he's a professional. Perrin is currently a +270 underdog in this short notice fight, but if you're like me, and a betting man, then I'd suggest putting some money on "The Joker", because there is A LOT of value on that betting line right now.
Another New Englander on the card is heavyweight Parker Porter (12-6) from New Britain, Connecticut. Porter is 2-1 in the UFC and is currently on a 2 fight win streak, so he's got some momentum behind him. Porter has looked very impressive in his last two victories inside the UFC Octagon, and for a guy who has more than paid his dues here within the region, we couldn't be more happy for him. He tipped the scales at 263 pounds today, and will look to continue his streak as a -270 favorite over Alan Baudot (8-2) on Saturday night.
Make sure to tune in tomorrow night on ESPN+ to watch these 2 New England studs go at it on the big stage.
