Duel Arena 1 was arguably even stranger than anyone could have anticipated. And for headliner Mike Perry, an already luckless weekend turned even more unlucky in the most bizarre of ways Saturday night at Orlando’s Kia Center.
The event was dealt a massive shake-up late Thursday after Perry’s original opponent, Dillon Danis, abruptly withdrew from their main-event bout, forcing the promotion to call in UFC veteran Brandon Jenkins to replace him in a reworked, short-notice bout against Perry. As a massive underdog, Jenkins’ gamble paid off, as he scored a TKO win via body kick at the 2:38 mark in Round 1 after Perry appeared to suffer an early shoulder injury.
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To further compound matters, Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani confirmed Friday that Perry was dealt a 50% purse cut for the Jenkins fight following Danis’ eleventh-hour withdrawal, despite accepting a more dangerous opponent on less than two days’ notice.
Perry (15-9) rushed Jenkins in the opening stages of the bout and took forward control immediately. Jenkins (18-11) found some effective punches with his left hand, while also launching off kicks, and even smacked Perry out of nowhere with a spinning back elbow, though Perry ate it and continued marching forward with aggressive offense.
Body shots and knees quickly came into play for each, but then disaster struck in the clinch, as Perry seemingly dislocated his shoulder after firing off several close-range punches. A hard body kick subsequently dropped him, and the referee let the action go as Jenkins uncorked punches and held Perry against the ropes. Perry fought back as much as he could, launching an elbow to move the fight to the opposite side of the ring, but another big body kick ultimately found its mark and cemented the major upset for Jenkins.
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Post-fight, Jenkins called for a fight against Perry’s most recent opponent, Nate Diaz. Whether or not Duel Arena continues beyond this inaugural card remains to be seen; the event marked the combat sports debut for online crypto casino and sportsbook DuelBet.
As for Perry, he’ll be forced to go back to the drawing board while nursing a potential injury in what was only his second combat sports loss since 2022.
Elsewhere on the card, former UFC light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa ended a seven-year retirement to take on former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman in a boxing match.
At age 46, the Brit turned back the clock and earned an impressive second-round knockout.
Check out complete Duel Arena results and highlights below, as well as Uncrowned’s round-by-round play-by-play of the main event.
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Full Card Results and Highlights
Middleweight (MMA): Brandon Jenkins def. Mike Perry via TKO (injury) at 2:38 of R1 | Watch finish
Heavyweight (kickboxing): Paul Miller def. Ben Azoulay via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight (boxing): Jimi Manuwa def. Chase Sherman via TKO (punches) at 1:52 of R2 | Watch finish
Featherweight (MMA): Blake Anthony def. Nate Morrow via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Heavyweight (MMA): Alex Nicholson def. Brad Taylor via TKO (punches) at 2:47 of R1
Cruiserweight (boxing): Ryan Pownall def. Patrick Clark Jr. via DQ (shoving) at 2:00 of R2
Light heavyweight (boxing): Phil Rowe def. Javanis Ross via unanimous decision (39-27, 40-36, 40-36)
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Super middleweight (boxing): Jack Grady def. Wade Stokan via TKO (punches) at 1:20 of R1
Lightweight (MMA): AJ Cunningham def. Joe Penafiel via KO (spinning back elbow) at 4:04 of R1 | Watch finish
Super bantamweight (boxing): Thomas Phillips def. Shane King via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
Perry rushes Jenkins and starts punching forward with his left hand. Jenkins jabs back before a low kick. Perry eats a spinning back elbow, then launches the jab. Jenkins lands a good right. Perry connects with a hook. A hard body shot from Perry is followed by a hook up high that hurts Jenkins. Jenkins kicks back to the leg. Perry jabs nicely, then throws massive hooks. Jenkins eats a left hook while missing on a spinning back elbow. A knee smashes Jenkins before he eats some punches. Perry dislocated his shoulder! A hard body kick crumples him! The ref is letting it go as Jenkins uncorks punches and holds Perry against the ropes. Wow. Perry launches an elbow, then separates. They go to the other ropes, and Perry fights on with one arm. Another big body kick lands to drop Perry! It’s over! Jenkins with the upset!
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Drake Riggs
Mike Perry is still in action, folks. It’s time to see if Brandon Jenkins can pull off the last-minute upset in this 185-pound MMA showdown. The last fight of Duel: Arena is next.
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
In Round 1, Azoulay suffers a shin cut. A rather pedestrian opener, but the fight rolls on.
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Drake Riggs
The lone kickboxing match of the night is the co-main event. In a heated rivalry, the highly controversial Paul Miller and Ben Azoulay finally get their hands on each other.
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
Manuwa can still swing with the best of ’em. Had a scare early in Round 2, but ultimately, thrashed Sherman with nasty punches en route to the TKO.
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Drake Riggs
Sherman has a tape issue with his glove, which has briefly delayed this fight.
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Drake Riggs
You’re reading that correctly. Former UFC light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa has returned — for a boxing match against former UFC heavyweight hopeful Chase Sherman. Welcome to bizarro world (again), folks.
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
One more round to go. Anthony seemingly has the lead, forcing Morrow to really push the pace here.
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Drake Riggs
MMA keeps on coming. Nate Morrow and Blake Anthony enter the ring after Nicholson’s big finish.
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
This is one of the more obscure rematches you’ll ever see. Nicholson and Taylor first fought as amateurs many, many, many moons ago. Taylor scored the win and aims to do so again. That was in MMA, and so is this one.
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
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Drake Riggs
Boxing remains the focus next. Former WWE wrestler Patrick Clark Jr., then known as Velveteen Dream, takes on Ryan Pownall. They’ve shared plenty of verbal jabs ahead of this one, so let’s see if the bad blood boils over.
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