Chad Mendes has an opponent for his bare-knuckle boxing debut.
The three-time UFC featherweight title challenger will fight Joshuah Alvarez a.k.a. “Famez” at the BKFC’s upcoming KnuckleMania 2 event, which takes place on Feb. 19 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Mendes’ debut opponent was announced by the BKFC on Friday following an initial report from MMA Junkie.
This will be the first fight for Mendes since December 2018. Mendes, 36, retired from MMA competition following a second-round TKO loss to future UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. He concluded his run with the promotion with a 9-5 record and three title shots at 145 pounds (including one interim championship bout). In August of last year, Mendes announced he was coming out of retirement to sign with the BKFC.
Alvarez fell short in his BKFC debut against Arthur Walcott-Ceesay, losing a unanimous decision in November.
KnuckleMania II will be headlined by a matchup between former UFC fighter Mike Perry and infamous Ultimate Fighter contestant Julian Lane.