Former UFC champs Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez sign with Bare Knuckle FC
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) has announced details for the biggest event in their acclaimed five-year history, BKFC-41 set for Saturday, April 29 in Denver, CO. Emanating from the 1STBANK Center, BKFC-41 is headlined by a tremendous triple-header of combat sports’ biggest stars.
Fighting in the middleweight division, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry, (2-0), will defend his reputation as ‘The Baddest Man in International Combat Sports’ against former UFC Middleweight World Champion Luke Rockhold.
Making his return to the square ring of warriors, BKFC fan favorite and three-time UFC world title challenger Chad ‘Money’ Mendes, (1-0), clashes with two-time Bellator and UFC Lightweight World Champion Eddie ‘The Underground King’ Alvarez, competing in the welterweight division.
Defending her BKFC Women’s Strawweight World Title, Christine ‘The Misfit’ Ferea, (6-1-0), known as ‘The Toughest Woman in Combat Sports’ battles popular and fearless Australian fighter ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings, (3-1).
Advance tickets for BKFC-41 starting at $60 will go On-Sale Wednesday, March 8. The 1STBANK Center is located at 11450 Broomfield Lane, Broomfield, CO, 80021. More information can be found on the venue’s website at www.1stbankcenter.com. BKFC-41 is sponsored by Only Fans, Crescent Tools, LIONS NOT SHEEP and Knockout Gummies.
“This is the biggest and most explosive event we’ve announced in our five years and is a true testament to the extraordinary international growth of our company,” said David Feldman, President of BKFC. “The biggest names in combat sports are watching our live events and want to be a part of the action. We continue to put on bigger events with the toughest and most talented fighters in combat sports and the fans speak loudly with ticket sales and by subscribing to the BKFC App.”
“The fans in Denver at our show last October were tremendous and I said then we would come back with a bigger event. I can’t stress it enough although I do with all of our shows selling out, get your tickets in advance and don’t miss the biggest and most exciting combat sports show coming to Colorado.”
A fighting legend in the UFC, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry of Orlando, FL made his immediate intentions known in his BKFC debut with a five round dominant win over bare-knuckle veteran Julian Lane at KnuckleMania 2 on February 19, 2022. He followed that up by defeating Bellator superstar Michael Page fighting in a memorable six-round war on August 20, 2022 in BKFC’s first event in England at the famed Wembley Arena. Prior to his BKFC debut, Perry competed in the first ever Triad Combat event, defeating world ranked boxer Michael Seals in front of a massive crowd at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas which also saw music icons Metallica perform. Perry’s larger than life presence has made him the constant talk of combat sports media with his willingness to fight anyone in any discipline.
Fighting out of Santa Cruz, CA, Luke Rockhold won the UFC Middleweight World Title by defeating Chris Weidman in December 2015. Among his accolades during his illustrious UFC career were wins over Michael Bisping, Lyoto Machida and Paulo Costa. His wins over Weidman and Costa earned Fight of the Night honors. He also won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship with a victory over Ronaldo Souza along with title defenses against Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy. His professional MMA record stands at 16-6.
Chad Mendes made his impressive BKFC debut with a fourth-round stoppage of Joshua ‘Famez’ Alvarez at KnuckleMania 2 on February 19, 2022. Prior to joining BKFC, the Sacramento, CA native starred in the UFC for seven years, challenging three times for the featherweight championship. Included in his highlights were two Fight of the Night honors against Jose Aldo and Alexander Volkanowski. He also won two Performances of the Night and holds the record for most knockouts in UFC featherweight history (six). Mendes headlined three UFC pay-per-view events, twice against Jose Aldo and once against Conor McGregor, compiling a professional MMA record of 18-5 before joining BKFC.
Eddie Alvarez of Philadelphia, PA won the UFC Lightweight Championship in July 2016 defeating Rafael dos Anjos and was a two-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion. In the last four years he has competed in Asia for One Championship totaling a remarkable 18-year professional MMA career with a record of 30-8, 2 NC. Among the top conquests in Alvarez’s career include Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Michael Chandler.
Also featured at BKFC-41, Christine Ferea will defend her BKFC Women’s Flyweight World Title for the second time following a first-round stoppage of Taylor Starling on August 27, 2022. The Las Vegas native won the inaugural title over Britain Hart Beltran in a rematch of her prior victory. Additional BKFC notable triumphs for Ferea include victories over Calista Silgado, Calie Cutler, and Jennifer Tate.
Bec Rawlings, a lightning rod for her attention due to her aggressive and provocative style, holds a BKFC record of 3-1 including a victory and loss to arch-rival Britain Hart Beltran. The native of Brisbane, Australia’s other two victories in BKFC include Cecilia Flores at BKFC-4 and Alma Garcia at the first BKFC event in June 2018. Rawlings also holds a professional MMA record of 8-9, competing in The Ultimate Fighter, Invicta and Bellator.
Additional fights for this tremendous event will be announced shortly.
