Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 41, the most highly anticipated event in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship history, took place Saturday at the sold-out 1STBANK Center in Denver – and the superstar-studded showcase event exceeded all expectations.
In the most talked-about BKFC bout of all time, “Platinum” Mike Perry smashed his way to 3-0 in the BKFC Squared Circle with a second-round TKO victory over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in Rockhold’s hugely anticipated BKFC debut. Rockhold called a stop to the fight 1:15 into the second round after sustaining extensive damage. After the bout ended, Perry, the No. 2-ranked BKFC middleweight, called combat sports icon Conor “Notorious” McGregor into the Squared Circle for a face off, which McGregor happily accepted. McGregor, with a BKFC championship belt over his shoulder: “It’s an incredible setup here, incredible matchmaking, incredible storytelling … All these fighters that step in here are warriors and they all have my respect. I’m into this game.” That sounded good to Perry, who also called out UFC legend Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who was sitting ringside: “Maybe we can fight. After I beat you (Cerrone), then I’ll beat Conor McGregor.”
Saturday’s Co-Main Event also lived up to its super-sized expectations as former UFC lightweight champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez edged former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad “Money” Mendes with a Split Decision in their lightweight battle. Both Alvarez and Mendes were each knocked down twice in the back-and-forth fight, which the judges scored 47-46, 46-47, 47-46. McGregor, a former opponent in UFC championship bouts with both Alvarez and Mendes, was among several celebrities in attendance in Denver. “The Underground King” was on fire after digging deep and rising to the occasion in his victorious debut in the Squared Circle: “This is a dog fight in here. I’m convinced right now that this is going to be the best sport in the world. This is what people want to see; BKFC is here to stay.” After the loss, Mendes announced his retirement from combat sports. The three-time UFC title challenger fell to 1-1 in the Squared Circle with the defeat.
In the Feature Fight, Christine “Misfit” Ferea solidified her status as the most dominant female fighter in BKFC history as she defended her BKFC World Women’s Flyweight Championship for the second time with a first-round doctor stoppage TKO over UFC vet “Rowdy” Bec Rawlings. The bout was stopped at the conclusion of the second round due to a cut around Rawlings’ eye. With the win, Ferea improved to 7-1, tieing her with Britain Hart for most victories all time amongst female fighters. Ferea has now won six straight – the longest winning streak for any female fighter in BKFC history – and has six wins by stoppage (most all time among female fighters). Rawlings fell to 3-2 with the loss. Ferea was all smiles as she added to her historic resume in Denver: “I’m super happy to be here. I’m thankful to Denver – they’re a great crowd. I’m just so grateful for this opportunity here with (BKFC Founder) David Feldman and BKFC giving me the platform to shine and show my heart as a warrior.”
“Big” Ben Rothwell smashed his way to 2-0 in the Squared Circle with a TKO corner stoppage victory over Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland in a highly anticipated meeting of former UFC heavyweight contenders. The stoppage came at the end of the third round. With the loss, Copeland fell to 1-1. After the victory, Rothwell, a 17-time UFC vet who’s now the No. 3-ranked heavyweight in BKFC, called for a shot at undefeated BKFC World Heavyweight Champion Alan “The Talent” Belcher (4-0): “I want to show you what these hands can really do. I’ll heal, I’ll come in here and put on a war and I’ll take that (expletive) title because I am the BKFC Heavyweight Champ!”
In another hotly anticipated battle of UFC vets, Chris Camozzi battered Dan “The Dragon” Spohn with three knockdowns in the opening frame of their cruiserweight fight to win via TKO at the conclusion of the first round. Camozzi, a veteran of 15 appearances in the UFC, is now 2-0 with a pair of knockouts in the BKFC Squared Circle, while Spohn fell to 0-1.
Brandon Girtz, a 15-time Bellator MMA vet, needed just 70 seconds to dispatch Christian “The Terminator” Torres via KO in their welterweight matchup. Girtz is now 1-1, while Torres dropped to 2-4.
James “Get Down” Brown turned heads as he improved to 2-0 with a doctor stoppage TKO over former WBO light-welterweight champ Mike “Mile High” Alvarado in Alvarado’s BKFC debut. The stoppage came at the end of the second round of their lightweight matchup.
To open the highly anticipated BKFC 41 Main Card, Khortni “The Head Hunter” Kamyron and Gabrielle Roman competed to a hard-fought Majority Draw in women’s featherweight action. The judges had it 48-46, 47-47, 47-47. Kamyron is now 1-0-1, while Roman drops to 0-0-1 in her debut.
All three BKFC 41 Preliminary Card bouts resulted in first-round finishes.
In light-heavyweight action, Marcus “Bad Intentions” Edwards made a first impression to remember, defeating Jay “Action” Jackson via TKO at the end of the first round of their bout. Edwards is now 1-0 under the BKFC banner; Jackson fell to 3-3.
Dillon Winemiller needed just seven seconds to steamroll Matthew Maestas via TKO in their light-heavyweight bout – good for the second fastest KO in BKFC history. Winemiller improved to 1-1, while Maestas fell to 0-1.
Mitch Seybold cruised to 1-1 in the Squared Circle with a first-round TKO corner stoppage victory over the debuting Jack “The Ripper” Willoughby one minute 23 seconds into their lightweight matchup.
BKFC Founder David Feldman Sr.: “Great (expletive) night. Great (expletive) night. For the sport and the fighters, it was unbelievable. We don’t know our exact attendance numbers, but we did right around 8,000 – we did very close to a million dollar gate, which is phenomenal for being in business for 4.5 years after everybody wrote us off time and time again. These fighters came in tonight and they delivered. They fought their asses off, and they all left it in the middle of that ring. It was a phenomenal night for us.”
Alvarez and Mendes shared Fight of the Night honors, while Winemiller was recognized with Knockout of the Night.