Former UFC stars Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold compete in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 29, and the event is on course to be the biggest in the promotion’s history.
The main card will get underway with ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings (3-1 BKFC) taking on Christine ‘ The Misfit’ Ferea (6-1 BKFC), the women’s straw-weight champion.
A heavyweight bout between Josh Copeland (1-0 BKFC) and Ben Rothwell (1-0 BKFC) is next on the card, with Copeland stepping in as a late replacement for Josh Watson, who was coming off a KO victory over former NFL star and UFC heavyweight, Greg Hardy. Watson had to withdraw from the bout following injury.
In the Co-Main event, former UFC and Bellator Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez takes on Chad Mendes (1-0 BKFC) in another bout between two former UFC stars who have made the crossover into Bare Knuckle Fighting.
Closing the card will be a light-heavyweight bout. Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold makes his BKFC debut, taking on ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry (2-0 BKFC).
The press conference came with some strong words from the straw-weight champion Christine Ferea, who said she’s not here to make any friends and is looking forward to winning over a former UFC fighter to build her brand.
Josh Copeland was very respectful towards his opponent during the presser. Rothwell was sharper in response, saying that although there is respect, he takes offence that Copeland has asked to fight him. Presumably, because he thinks that means Copeland underestimates him; we shall see on Saturday night.
Eddie Alvarez was next on the mic. He mentioned missing many of his son’s birthdays over the years due to being in the fight game for twenty years, so he said he would give him a birthday present by laying his (pointing at an opponent) on the canvas.
The heat then turned up as the focus turned to the main event on the card. Perry seemed to enjoy Rockhold’s description of ‘making his face nice and colorful’.
Perry was in good spirits, a true dog in the fight game; he’s the type of fighter who enjoys getting punched in the face. He came across as excited for the bout, and both fighters gave the impression they were looking to throw down.
DraftKings have Luke Rockhold as +215 underdog, which he didn’t care much about. He’s expecting Perry to come on the offensive and let laid down face first.
The face-offs were largely uneventful until Perry and Rockhold squared off. Perry jokingly went to hit Rockhold with his custom-made ‘Platinum’ championship belt before they briefly shadow-boxed. Upon leaving the stage, Rockhold got Perry in a chokehold, but all was in good jest. It seems the main event fighters have a friendly relationship outside of competing and enjoy insulting each other and trying to get under each other’s skin. The friendship will be put aside on Saturday night as they go to war, without gloves, in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
BKFC 41 is available via pay-per-view on all major cable and satellite providers: BKFC App, Youtube PPV, Rumble PPV and the FITE App.
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