Luke Rockhold makes his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut, defeating Mike Perry via TKO in the second round, while Eddie Alvarez wins by split decision against Chad Mendes in the co-main event at BKFC 41.
Former Strikeforce and UFC champion Luke Rockhold made his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut on Saturday against Mike Perry in Denver, Colorado. Perry entered the main event bout undefeated in BKFC (2-0) and was looking for another finish, while Rockhold promised a knockout heading into the match.
In the first round, Perry pressed forward, but Rockhold connected with a left hand. Perry landed a low blow, and Rockhold was given time to recover. Resuming the fight, Perry pressed forward, and Rockhold clinched, landing a left hand that staggered Perry. Perry answered with a left hand as the round came to a close. In the second round, Perry came out aggressive, pressuring Rockhold. Rockhold connected with a left hand, and Perry immediately responded with a right. After a break, Rockhold took out his mouthpiece and quit, giving Perry the TKO win.
In the co-main event, former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez made his promotional debut against former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes. The two men didn’t hold back, with both landing in the first round, leaving Mendes with a cut next to his right eye. Early in the second round, Mendes knocked Alvarez down with a left hand but was unable to finish him off. Alvarez came back in the third round, and the two men had their moments throughout the final round. In the end, Alvarez won by split decision, with the scorecards reading 47-46, 46-47, and 47-46. Following the loss, Mendes announced his retirement from combat sports.
The event also included several other matches, with Christine Ferea defeating Bec Rawlings via TKO due to a doctor’s stoppage in the second round. Ben Rothwell won against Josh Copeland with a TKO in the third round, while Chris Camozzi defeated Daniel Spohn with a KO in the first round. Brandon Girtz defeated Christian Torres with a KO in the first round, and James Brown defeated Mike Alvarado by TKO in the second round. The fight between Khortni Kamyron and Gabrielle Roman ended in a majority draw. Additionally, the preliminary card featured Marcus Edwards defeating Jay Jackson with a KO in the first round, Dillon Winemiller defeating Matthew Maestas with a KO in 0:07 seconds, and Mitch Seybold defeating Jack Willoughby via TKO in the first round.
Overall, the BKFC 41 event provided fans with an exciting evening of fights, with Perry defeating Rockhold and Alvarez winning his promotional debut against Mendes.