LAS VEGAS – Heading into Saturday night, Mike Perry had gone the distance three times in his career. They happened to be the only three losses of his career.

So just from a math and history standpoint, it stands to reason Perry should not have wanted to go 15 minutes in his welterweight fight against Paul Felder at UFC 226. His 11 career wins were all knockouts. His three losses all were decisions, including back-to-back setbacks heading into Saturday.

But Perry (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) took a split decision from Felder (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in a bloody fight on the UFC 226 main card Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

“I got my first decision victory – this is something,” Perry told MMAjunkie after the fight. “I can see my career moving forward in a positive direction, and I’m happy with that. I’m getting better. It shows room for growth – that’s always good. I can’t just know everything yet. I’m ready to relax and have some fun and then get back in the gym and get even better.”

Perry left his longtime training base near Orlando, Fla., after his February loss at home to Max Griffin. He also had a fairly public split thanks to the powers of social media with his longtime girlfriend and regular training partner.

But he went after a new look in Albuquerque, N.M., at the famed Jackson-Wink MMA camp, and it paid off. The fight with Felder came together only a week before UFC 226. Felder was supposed to fight in Boise, Idaho, later this week until James Vick got taken from him. But Perry needed an opponent after Yancy Medeiros fell out, and in Felder he wound up getting what arguably could be the biggest victory of his career. Felder had won five of six fights coming in.

Now Perry says he wants to keep pushing forward – with some UFC headlining opportunities on his mind.

“Main events – that’s what I see in the future,” Perry said. “Even after a rough fight like that, I feel like I could’ve gone 10 more minutes. I feel like I’m ready for 25-minute fights. I was really starting to come together in the third round. I was starting to put combinations together.

“And having fun all week may have had something to do with the way I performed. I don’t want to lock myself in the hotel room and be bored all week. I want to have fun. This is the best job in the world, and probably the hardest job in the world. (I) might as well have fun while I’m doing it.”

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

For complete coverage of UFC 226, check out the UFC Events section of the site.