Tag: BKFC 56

Ben Rothwell out of BKFC 56, fight with Todd Duffee now targeted for February

BKFC 56 has lost its original co-main event after Ben Rothwell was forced to withdraw because of illness.

BKFC 56 has taken a hit.

The co-main event between [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] has been postponed after Rothwell came down with an illness, BKFC president David Feldman announced Thursday at the BKFC 56 news conference.

“Ben Rothwell actually came down really, really sick this morning, and he’s not going to be able to compete,” Feldman said. “We tried to get a last-minute replacement for Todd Duffee, and we just couldn’t line it up, so we’re going to push that for February. Sorry to the fans for that one, but we still have a stacked card.”

Duffee, who still attended the BKFC 56 news conference, wasn’t happy with the development and took a shot at Rothwell for withdrawing.

“I fought with COVID my last fight, so I really think Ben’s real fight is happening with the scale,” Duffee said. “I think Thanksgiving was his biggest opponent. I don’t know what else to really add to that. Again, I fought with COVID, I understand what it’s like, but you make a commitment, you try to get out there and make it happen. I don’t think Ben by any means is a weak man. Maybe he’s going through something I don’t understand, but I think his biggest fight was Thanksgiving. And I think that’s where he lost.”

This was supposed to be Duffee’s debut in bareknuckle boxing, but now he’ll have to wait until the first quarter of next year. Rothwell was set to make his third BKFC appearance since his UFC departure in March 2022. Rothwell is 2-0 in bareknuckle.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 56.

BKFC free fight: Ben Rothwell retires Josh Copeland after battering him for three rounds

Ahead of BKFC 56, watch Ben Rothwell notch his second win in the ring.

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] is getting the hang of this bareknuckle boxing thing.

The former UFC heavyweight contender moved to 2-0 in BKFC this past April when he defeated Josh Copeland back at BKFC 41. After battering Copeland for three rounds, Copeland’s corner decided to throw in the towel and not send their fighter back for the fourth round. This gave Rothwell a TKO victory and his second win since transitioning from MMA.

You can watch Rothwell’s impressive win over Copeland in the video above.

Rothwell returns to the ring this Friday in the co-main event of BKFC 56. He takes on fellow UFC veteran Todd Duffee. The event takes place at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. The pay-per-view streams on the BKFC app and other streaming platforms.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 56.

Eddie Alvarez ahead of BKFC 56: Mike Perry ‘too slow, I’m going to hit him too much’

Eddie Alvarez expects his speed to be a problem for Mike Perry in the BKFC 56 headliner Saturday.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] expects his speed to be a problem for [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag].

Alvarez meets Perry in the main event of BKFC 56 on Dec. 2 in Salt Lake City.

Perry has found success in the BKFC ring, going 3-0 with wins over Julian Lane, Michael Page, and most recently a second-round TKO of ex-UFC champ Luke Rockhold this past April. Alvarez thinks Perry’s toughness got him by in those fights, but says that’s an attribute he won’t outmatch him in.

“Mike’s tough as hell,” Alvarez told Middle Easy. “A lot of people say, ‘Mike don’t move his head … Mike don’t do this.’ He makes up for a lot of the lack of his stuff with his toughness, his grit, his will – that kind of stuff.

“He cleans it up with that. But when you’re going against another fighter like myself, who has all that, and all of them boxes are checked, then you’re going to have to rely on your skill and your game plan, and something more than just grit and will to get you by.”

One the same night Perry beat Rockhold, former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion Alvarez won a split decision over Chad Mendes in his bare-knuckle debut.

Alvarez plans on putting a beating on Perry until the referee waives the fight off.

“He’s too slow, I’m going to hit him too much,” Alvarez said. “I respect Mike Perry and what he does and his resilience, (but) I’m going to hit him too much, too often, too hard. If he don’t stop fighting, I think the ref’s going to stop him from fighting.”

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Mike Perry vs. Eddie Alvarez to decide ‘King of Violence’ champ at BKFC 56

Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez are the right guys to fight for BKFC’s “King of Violence” title belt.

Move over, “BMF” belt. A new combat sports title gimmick is about to take center stage.

When former UFC standouts [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] compete in the BKFC 56 headliner next month, a belt will be on the line in the form of the promotion’s newly created “King of Violence” championship.

During Thursday’s BKFC 56 news conference in Salt Lake City, BKFC president David Feldman said the promotion settled on a design for the belt after receiving votes from 47,000 fans who picked from three designs. The belt, which Feldman said won’t be ready for another week, will be awarded to the Perry-Alvarez winner.

“I’m happy about it, and I’m happy to be able to do something a little different up here,” Feldman said. “This is a violent sport. We’ve run to it. We say what it is: It’s a brutal sport. It’s not more dangerous than anything else out there, but you have to be a different kind of person to fight bare-knuckle fighting, and these guys are. They’re different, and that’s why they’re fighting for the ‘King of Violence’ championship.”

The “King of Violence” title is different, but it’s nothing new. Back in November 2019, the UFC created a “BMF” title belt especially for a fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz at UFC 244, which Masvidal won. That figured to be the only time the “BMF” belt would be at stake, but the UFC brought it back earlier this year for the UFC 291 headliner between Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, which Gaethje claimed by knockout. Now there’s talk of Gaethje possibly defending it against Max Holloway.

Feldman said BKFC’s “King of Violence” title “is probably gonna be a one-and-done thing for us,” but you never know. For now, he’s got two masters of violence in Perry and Alvarez who are the right guys for such a title.

“We have two violent guys – a Philly guy and a Florida guy – that are gonna collide in the squared circle on Dec. 2 here in Salt Lake City,” Feldman said. “It’s gonna be an epic, epic night.”

BKFC 56 will mark Perry’s fourth time competing for the promotion. He’s 3-0 in his previous appearances, with wins over Julian Lane, Michael Page, and most recently a second-round TKO of ex-UFC champ Luke Rockhold this past April.

That same night, Alvarez, a former UFC and Bellator champion, made his bare-knuckle debut and won a split decision over Chad Mendes.

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Video: Mike Perry, Eddie Alvarez trade punches during spirited first faceoff ahead of BKFC 56

Punching each other in the gut was all in good fun between Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez – we think.

It was all in good fun – we think.

On Thursday, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] partook in a lively press conference filled with trash talk in Salt Lake City, where the two former UFC fighters will meet Dec. 2 in the BKFC 56 headliner for the “King of Violence” championship belt.

Afterward, Perry and Alvarez had their first faceoff. And, well, it got violent.

The two men came face to face with BKFC president David Feldman between, they exchanged some words, and then exchanged some punches to the stomach that they apparently were OK with? They might’ve been playing around, but those punches were pretty hard. Thankfully, nothing got out of hand.

You can watch the faceoff between Perry and Alvarez in the video above.

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Video: BKFC 56 pre-fight press conference live stream

Watch the BKFC 56 pre-fight press conference live, featuring Eddie Alvarez, Mike Perry and many others.

The BKFC 56 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event right here on MMA Junkie beginning at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).

The event features seven UFC veterans on the main card and three title fights. Expected to participate in the press conference are main eventers, former UFC champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]. Also, at the press conference will be co-main heavyweights [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag], along with BKFC president David Feldman.

BKFC 56 takes place Saturday, Dec. 2 at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on FITE and the BKFC App.

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‘I’m about to beat the sh*t out of you’: Eddie Alvarez, Mike Perry verbally spar before BKFC 56 showdown

One thing seems certain: It will NOT suck when former UFC standouts Eddie Alvarez and Mike Perry throw hands at BKFC 56.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] have about six weeks until they put hands on each other, but the verbal warfare has already begun.

Alvarez, a former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion, and Perry, a former UFC welterweight standout, are set to punch each other in the face when they meet in a bareknuckle boxing match that headlines a stacked BKFC 56 card on Dec. 2 in Salt Lake City.

On Monday, Alvarez and Perry sat down with MMA Junkie Radio for a joint interview and, as you’d expect, things got interesting, with both men firing salvos at each other.

“You’re gonna have a lot to deal with,” Alvarez told Perry. “It’s gonna be something different than you’ve ever felt. You might question yourself inside of the fight.”

Perry responded: “I’m about to beat the sh*t out of you. Easy work, no problem. You’re right: It’s gonna be different. … This one is gonna be different in the fact that it’s the easiest one ever, and I’m just gonna shut you down.”

The conversation between Alvarez and Perry went on like this for almost 20 minutes, which you can watch in the video above.

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Former UFC champ Eddie Alvarez vs. Mike Perry to headline stacked BKFC 56 event

Multiple title fights and matchups between former UFC stars, including Eddie Alvarez vs. Mike Perry, are set for BKFC 56 in december.

BKFC is putting together a stacked December event headlined by two former UFC stars, along with three title fights.

Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] in the headlining bout at 175 pounds at BKFC 56 on Dec. 2. The event will take place at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. BKFC president David Feldman announced the news on The MMA Hour.

Alvarez (1-0 BKFC) made his bareknuckle debut in April, against fellow UFC veteran Chad Mendes in the co-headliner of BKFC 41. It was a very competitive bout in which both fighters scored knockdowns. The judges would have their say and declared Alvarez the winner by a thin split decision result.

Perry (3-0 BKFC) has quickly become one of the biggest stars in bareknuckle boxing after his exit from the UFC in 2021. After defeating Julian Lane by unanimous decision in his BKFC debut, “Platinum” went on to win an incredible battle against Michael Page at BKFC 27, and then stop former UFC champion Luke Rockhold by second-round TKO in the main event of BKFC 41.

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Also announced for the card is a heavyweight matchup between another pair of UFC veterans. Ben Rothwell, who is undefeated through two bareknuckle bouts, will take on Todd Duffee in the co-main event. Duffee will be making his bareknuckle boxing debut after his last MMA appearance February in KSW.

Rounding out the main card will be a trio of championship fights: [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] will put her flyweight title on the line against [autotag]Bec Rawlings[/autotag], Arnold Adams and Mick Terrill will compete for the vacant heavyweight title, and Kai Stewart will look to defend his featherweight title against Howard Davis.

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