Vicente Luque OBLITERATED Mike Perry's nose and he didn't quit ... and that's why he says Platinum's the toughest dude he ever faced.
Luque landed a big knee directly to Perry's nose during their fight Saturday night -- literally crushing it -- turning the fight into a blood bath.
Perry kept fighting.
TMZ Sports talked to Luque ... who was blown away by Perry's toughness.
"Obviously, I wanted to get the finish, but it didn't happen that night. Mike is so tough. As tough as they come. For sure the toughest guy I've faced 'til now."
That's a big deal -- Luque once beat Thiago Santos -- the guy who just pushed Jon Jones to the brink of defeat while fighting on a bunch of torn ligaments in his knees.
And yeah, Vicente says Perry is tougher than Santos.
The fight was a war ... and the guys pummeled each other ... so friends is probably the last thing you'd expect they become, right?
Wrong ... 'cause Luque tells us they've actually talked about training with each other.
"[Perry] talked about training, and that's something that in my mind is super positive. I love training with different guys. He's a guy who has a lot to teach me, for sure."
But, that's down the road after Mike -- who just had his broken nose fixed -- heals up.