Mike Perry defeated Luke Rockhold via TKO in a bare-knuckle boxing fight after Rockhold motioned to the referee that there was something wrong with his jaw.
When Luke Rockhold and Mike Perry stepped into the squared circle for their bare-knuckle boxing fight, fans were unsure of what to expect. For Perry, this was his third high-profile fight without gloves, having recently earned a razor-thin decision over Bellator standout Michael Page at BKFC 27, and edging out outspoken Julian Lane in their grudge match at KnuckleMania 2. On the other hand, Rockhold, a former UFC and Strikeforce champion, was making his bare-knuckle debut after being released from the UFC earlier this year. In his most recent fight, Rockhold suffered an entertaining decision loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278.
However, after a little more than one round of action, Rockhold motioned to the referee that there was something wrong with his jaw. Following some confusion, the referee waved the fight off and awarded Perry the TKO win. Fellow fighters reacted to Perry’s violent victory, as well as Eddie Alvarez’s victory and Chad Mendes’ retirement.
Dan Hangman Hooker tweeted, “Mikes a dog, bare knuckles the real deal,” while Mike Malott commented, “Bare Knuckle Freaking Circus. That was wild.” Eddie Alvarez and Chad Mendes received praise for their respective performances, with Dustin Poirier congratulating Alvarez, saying, “Congratulations Edward! You’re a [fighter].” After Mendes announced his retirement, Frankie Edgar tweeted, “You’re a stud @chadmendes, congrats on an amazing career, enjoy your retirement!”