It’s not fair to compare UFC Vegas 72 with BKFC 41.
After all, nobody is pointing to the former as a marquee event, whereas the latter was likely the promotion’s biggest in history and came with a hefty price tag. Still, when the two events run nearly back-to-back, it’s hard not to appreciate the differences.
Just as Song Yadong finished brutalizing Ricky Simon (watch it), the main card of the bareknuckle boxing event was heating up. Though I won’t claim to be BKFC regular, its cards can be trusted to deliver the goods … and last night was no exception. UFC veterans like Chris Camozzi and Ben Rothwell brought the violence from the first bell, and in every single fight I watched, someone’s face was turned to mush.
Rothwell’s fight opposite Josh Copeland actually stands out as more than a Heavyweight slugfest. Not because of the fight itself, which saw Copeland start well, get tired, then turn into a punching bag — standard Heavyweight antics. However, Copeland’s corner intervened after the third round, sagely saving their athlete from more punishment.
Why don’t we do that in mixed martial arts (MMA) again? Perhaps the very obvious, highly in-your-face consequences of a couple extra and unnecessary bare knuckle rounds are simple a more effective deterrent to coaches and corners compared to invisible brain damage.
The co-main event between Eddie Alvarez and Chad Mendes was undoubtedly the highlight of the night (watch highlights). THIS is how you book older veterans, former champions and contenders. At 39 and 37 respectively, this pair of former world-class cage fighters proved their grit and skill in a highly appropriate showdown.
It was fantastic!
Were Alvarez and Mendes still fighting inside the Octagon, they’d surely be sacrificed to whoever’s the new hottest up-and-comer around town. Meanwhile, Bellator won’t sign them until they’re pushing 50, THEN offer them up to Ryan Bader.
Finally, the main event brought us combat sport’s greatest star, “Platinum” Mike Perry. The legend of Perry has grown significant since he was freed from UFC’s structure, and truly, no man is more built for the BKFC squared circle thing than Perry. He’s ferocious and fearless, and he’s just continually picking up the best wins of his career.
He took his best punches, then torched his body, broke his face, and made him quit. Rockhold found out the hard way that he’s not made for this bare knuckle game, at least not at 38 years of age. Perry, meanwhile, created an absolute circus by squaring off with Conor McGregor!
We now live in a timeline where Perry vs. Jake Paul or McGregor are not fever dreams, they realistically could happen at any point in the next decade. Perry’s thriving, and we’re all better off for it. BKFC seems to be thriving, and maybe combat sports in general is better off for it as well.
… provided nobody else dies.
For complete BKFC 41: “Rockhold vs. Perry” results and play-by-play, click HERE.