Four former UFC fighters headlining BKFC 41 on April 29

Luke Rockhold Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Quartet of former UFC fighters to headline BKFC 41 on April 29

By Marc Ray | Last updated 3/1/23

Bareknuckle Fighting Championship 41 will feature Luke Rockhold vs. Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes on April 29, organization president David Feldman announced on Wednesday.

Rockhold and Alvarez -- both former UFC champions in their respective weight classes -- are the newest members of the BKFC roster. They will try to make successful introductions to the bare-knuckle boxing scene next month. The two former belt-holders are near the end of their careers and are looking for a late spark sans gloves.

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Rockhold, who holds former middleweight championships in both the UFC and Strikeforce, announced his short-lived retirement from mixed martial arts in August 2022. The 38-year-old never officially closed the door on his combat sports career, though.

Come the end of April, Rockhold will face off with fellow former UFC-er Mike Perry, who is 2-0 since joining the BKFC in October 2021.

In the other big headline match for BKFC 41, Alvarez (himself a former UFC lightweight champion) will make his debut against MMA legend Chad Mendes. Before his UFC days, Alvarez had a four-year stint with Bellator, where he became the organization's inaugural lightweight world champ.

For his part, Mendes has fought some of the best 145-pound fighters in history, including José Aldo, Alexander Volkanovski, Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar. He made his bare-knuckle debut in February 2022 at KnuckleMania 2, where he won by technical knockout.

The card will also feature Christine Ferea vs. Bec Rodriguez for the women’s flyweight title. The pay-per-view for BKFC 41 will be held at the 1STBANK Center in Denver, Colorado.

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