The bareknuckle boxing debuts of Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez arrived on Saturday, with BKFC 41 in Colorado an absolutely stacked night of fights.
Rockhold, who requested his release from the UFC last year, was paired up with a fellow UFC alum in “Platinum” Mike Perry, who had promised to “headbutt” the former Strikeforce champ’s hands in the hopes of breaking them. Alvarez, meanwhile, had a slightly less dramatic build-up to his fight with Chad Mendes, which served as the evening’s co-main event.
For Mendes, his fight against Alvarez had the possibility of being his last in combat sports. Citing other successful business interests, Mendes admitted ahead of BKFC 41 that he doesn’t need to fight, though the money — a key motivator for Chad “Money” Mendes — was good, so nothing was certain.
Alvarez, for his part, was simply looking to turn things around after a disappointing run in ONE Championship, which saw the former Bellator MMA and UFC lightweight champion post a 1-2, 1NC record across four fights.
“Queen of Bareknuckle” Bec Rawlings was also in action at BKFC 41, against Christine Ferea, while “Big” Ben Rothwell looked to make it 2-0 in BKB against fellow UFC veteran Josh Copeland. The hard-hitting Brandon Girtz, a longtime Bellator MMA standout, was paired up with Christian Torres, while Chris Camozzi and Daniel Spohn also faced off.
BKFC 41 takes place on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at the 1STBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The card airs live on PPV via Fite.tv. Full results from the event can be found below.
BKFC 41 Results
Main Card
Mike Perry def. Luke Rockhold by TKO (retirement), Round 2, 1:15
Eddie Alvarez def. Chad Mendes by split decision (47-46, 46-47, 47-46)
Christine Ferea (c) def. Bec Rawlings by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 3:00 — for the BKFC women’s flyweight championship
Ben Rothwell def. Josh Copeland by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 3, 3:00
Chris Camozzi def. Daniel Spohn by KO, Round 1, 2:00
Brandon Girtz def. Christian Torres by KO, Round 1, 1:10
James Brown def. Mike Alvarado by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 3:00
Gabrielle Roman vs. Khortni Kamyron ruled a majority draw (48-46, 47-47, 47-47)
Preliminary Card
Marcus Edwards def. Jay Jackson by KO, Round 1, 3:00
Dillon Winemiller def. Matthew Maestas by KO, Round 1, 0:07
Mitch Seybold def. Jack Willoughby by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 1, 1:23
