Category: Bare Knuckle Fighting

No UFC? Paige VanZant talks possible MMA future

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, BKFC, MMA News, UFC News

Not every fighter who earns some level of fame in the UFC finds a way to take it with them once they leave the promotion. For many, their time inside the Octagon and the advertising/media opportunities that provides are the absolute pinnacle of their notoriety.

It’s a credit then to Paige VanZant that she has managed to continue finding celebrity and success, even after her combat sports career began to falter. Now just 29-years-old, ’12 Gauge’ has not competed in a fight of any sort since 2021, and hasn’t recorded a win inside the cage or the boxing ring since 2019.

Paige VanZant was ready to leave the UFC

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, OnlyFans star and current PFL broadcast team member Paige VanZant talked about her exit from the world’s largest MMA promotion. Back in 2019, VanZant spoke about her negotiations with the UFC, outlining her desire to get a big jump in pay from the Endeavor-owned company. More recently, however, VanZant suggested that her exit the following year wasn’t so much motivated by money as it was her waning interest in the promotion itself.

“Me re-signing with the UFC would have been the safe choice, but I just wasn’t happy anymore,” VanZant explained. “It’s not ill will toward the UFC, but I just knew I needed something else. I needed a change. I signed with the UFC when I was 19. I had my first fight when I was 20. I need something different. I need to spark my passion again.

“Looking back, I kind of had my mind made up that I was ready to leave the UFC. So when I became a free agent and they came with their offer to re-sign me, I was already moved on. That part of my life is closed, and I was ready for the next chapter, and I didn’t know what it would be.”

Instead, VanZant landed a reportedly massive contract to compete in bare-knuckle boxing with BKFC. She’s fought twice in her new promotional home, losing both bouts by unanimous decision. Despite the lack of success, and no firm plans when she might fight again, VanZant is apparently still dedicated to appearing at least once more in the ring.

An MMA return?

As for MMA? If she ever decides to take that plunge again, PVZ only has eyes for one promotion.

“Working with the PFL, the way they treat their athletes, it’s absolutely incredible,” VanZant explained. “And it just opened up my mind and my options so much to where I get to do pretty much anything I want to.”

“If I were to do MMA again, it would definitely be with the PFL. I love the way they treat everybody. Their organization is incredible. I’ve been loving doing commentary work for them and doing behind the scenes, just because I do like being on camera, so I’ve been having fun with that. But I do believe as of right now, just in my mind, if I were going to do MMA it would be with PFL.”

No word if or when fans might expect to see VanZant back in fighting form. With a massive income from her social media platforms, she’s clearly in a position to compete only when she feels the itch. Until then, fight fans will just have to wait.

Shoe stoppage! BKFC: Bare-knuckle boxer gets world’s weirdest TKO

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting

Combat sports never ceases to amaze. Just when fans think they’ve seen it all some new surprise worms its way out of the woodwork and leaves all and sundry shocked.

At one time it was Anthony Pettis and his showtime kick. Then there was Yair Rodriguez and his up-elbow. Back in 2002, Roy Jones Jr. delivered a knockout right hook to Glen Kelly with his hands behind his back. Everyone from Anderson Silva, to Demetrious Johnson to Prince Naseem Hamed and James Toney have found ways to dazzle audiences with their fistic prowess.

Has bare-knuckle boxing finally found it’s first great highlight of pugilistic craft?

Absolutely not.

Bare-knuckle boxer gets TKO’d by loose shoe at BKFC 54

BKFC has emerged as the premiere bare-knuckle boxing promotion around the world, hosting a steady stream of events all over the globe and attracting a wide range of talents both from the boxing world and from mixed martial arts. This week the promotion has a pair of European events, with BKFC 54 going down on Friday, November 17th in Sofia, Bulgaria—followed by BKFC 55 on Saturday in Leeds, England.

It’s down on the BKFC 54 undercard, however that we got our taste of the truly absurd, when light heavyweight MMA fighters Kaloyan Kolev & Amer Abdulnabi squared off in what appeared to be the boxing debut for both men. Scheduled for five 2-minute rounds, the bout didn’t even make it out of the first.

That’s not because the obviously more dangerous Kolev was dominating, however, but instead because Abdulnabi couldn’t find a way to stand upright. The Lebanese fighter’s shoes were so slick that he couldn’t throw a strike without tumbling to the mat. After just a minute of action, the referee stopped the bout to try and find a solution, but when tape didn’t seem to help he called the whole thing off.

As a result, Kolev picked up his first ever TKO win in the boxing ring, taking him to 11-1 in MMA and 1-0 in bare-knuckle. Kolev may be a recognizable name to hardcore UFC fans, having faced off against Armen Petrosyan on the 2021 season of Dana White’s Contender Series. Kolev lost that bout via KO in round 1. To date, the only defeat on the 31-year-old’s record.

BKFC holding tryouts in New Mexico

With no real amateur circuit to speak of, limited legality across the US, and a low enough level of events and popularity to stop most fighters from making a full time job out of it, it’s worth wondering how bare knuckle boxing organizations continue to find new talent to fill out their cards. The secret, it seems, is open tryouts.

Fighters interested in testing their skills in the BKFC ring will get their chance to audition on Saturday, December 9th, in Albuquerque, NM. At an event hosted by longtime UFC action-fight legend Chris Lytle. ‘Lights Out’ delivered some information about the event in a post to his Instagram feed.

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Buakaw beats Saenchai at BKFC Thailand 5

Perhaps the best showcase of BKFC’s growing foothold in the combat sports industry came just earlier this month in Pattaya, Thailand. There two Muay Thai legends—Buakaw Banchamek and Saenchai Saenpong—faced off for 5-rounds of bare knuckle Thai boxing action.

Buakaw opened the bout with a heavy dose of kicks to Saenchai’s legs and and body, along with several kick catches to dump/trip takedowns (despite the technique apparently being disallowed for the contest). As the fight wore on Buakaw opened with more of his punching arsenal, eventually cruising to a comfortable decision.

Fans can check out the whole thing here:

Mike Perry flips narrative on Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis fight

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, Celebrity Boxing

Just a few days ago, it seemed like Mike Perry might know something we don’t know. With the help of his Overdog podcast partners, ‘Platinum’ released a short video announcing to fans that he was “in,” apparently replacing Dillon Danis to fight Logan Paul on the upcoming Misfits celebrity boxing card.

“Our boy [Mike Perry] is gonna put a whooping on [Logan Paul] and then sit down and tell us all about it,” the Overdogs official Instagram account stated in a post accompanying Perry’s video announcement.

If that seemed like a reasonably definitive statement, Dillon Danis was quick to deny the news. And he wasn’t alone. The Proper Loud Management team, responsible for managing several of the influencers on at the event also put out a statement telling fans “Logan Paul v Danis is happening on Oct 14th.” In light of that, maybe it’s not so surprising that Perry was singing a decidedly different tune in a recent interview with TMZ.

Mike Perry walks back Danis replacement talk

As of Monday, October 9th, ‘The Prime Card’ is still set to be headlined by a six-round cruiserweight boxing contest between former Love Island contestant (and half brother to Tyson Fury) Tommy Fury, taking on Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji (aka KSI). The co-headliner is a 224 lb bridgerweight bout between Logan Paul and Dillon Danis. Where does Mike Perry fit into that equation? He’s just sitting and waiting.

“Preparing for a fight like normal,” Perry told TMZ when asked about his current status. “Like I’m the one fighting. Everyone’s been telling me I’m the one fighting. My coach is on it, my managers are on it. We’ve been preparing, there’s a lot of things that go into it. And it’s been kinda weird with not actually being the fight. But, there’s a possibility.

“They told me, all the way up until the point where, if Danis gets in the ring, answers the bell, and walks out of the ring to say that he was there, that he showed up, I would still get in the ring and I would fight Logan.”

In reality, however, it sounds mostly like Perry expects Danis to be there on fight night. He may be keeping himself ready to step in at a moment’s notice, but he’s also discussed the possiblity that maybe he could be in Danis’ corner instead, if the fight goes ahead as planned.

Mike Perry willing to corner Dillon Danis

Dillon Danis had already been scheduled for a Misfits boxing card once before. The longtime Conor McGregor training partner was supposed to face KSI back in January. However, Danis pulled out of the bout just a little over a week out from the event, citing a lack of proper preparation and an absence of a real fight team.

While Perry doesn’t think Danis is necessarily going to pull out this time, he also hasn’t seen many signs that Danis has a better camp around him either. If Danis shows up without a quality corner, he’s willing to fill the void.

“I’m assuming I won’t be in the crowd, I’ll be in the back, I’ll be preppin’,” Perry explained, “and wait for their word to be like ‘Okay, it’s your time. Danis isn’t here.’ Whatever. Maybe we’ll know sooner. Maybe we’ll know a day or two before.

“Maybe Danis won’t go at all, who knows? I think he will. I think he will. Chael Sonnen thinks he will. But, Chael Sonnen also said he doesn’t think that Danis explained why he pulled out of the KSI Fight. I thought that he did say that he didn’t train, didn’t have a team. I don’t see him having a team right now, this time, either. He’s been all over the place, training differen places with random people.

“And my coach even said something to me today, ‘What if Danis comes and he needs help in the corner?’ And then I corner Dillon Danis?”

As to whether he’d accept that position, to help Danis between rounds? Perry was willing, but also admitted he’d probably pressure Danis to drop the fight if he was really that unprepared that he needed Perry’s help.

“Yeah, sure,” Perry said when asked if he’d corner Danis. “I mean, I’d have to ask him, ‘I mean, maybe you just don’t do it, and I do it?'”

Mike Perry has reverse CTE

Despite all the shenanigans and carnival nature of celebrity combat sports, Perry appeared to be in high spirits during his TMZ interview. When asked about what kind of place he was in mentally right now, Perry didn’t hesitate to extoll the virtues of what fighting has done for him, and how much he enjoys living the life of a professional pugilist.

“It’s my pleasure, my absolute pleasure to take care of my family and be this upstanding, strong individual for them, that they can look up to,” Perry revealed. “And I get better at it every single day. I get stronger, I get wiser, I get better—smarter. You know, I’m the guy they say, that I have reverse CTE. The more I get punched, the smarter I get. I really love fighting. I really dived into that, dived into myself; found out what it is I’m really doing and meant to do.

“The most important thing is family and just loving what I do and what I’m capable of. I would love to just get punched in the face by Logan and just smile at him as I chase him down as he runs away from me. It’s a great game that I get to play, that I get to live. The life I get to live; I’m forever grateful. And I want to keep it going forever. I want to be the guy that doesn’t ever have to stop.”

Paige VanZant lifts lid on OnlyFans income versus UFC pay

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, MMA News, Pro Wrestling, UFC News

For most of its history, MMA has been no great way to get rich. For the few fighters that have ridden the wave of their combat sports fame to fortune, plenty more have sacrificed their physical prime chasing dreams that never quite become reality.

At one point, Paige Van Zant appeared to be on her way to bonafide UFC stardom. Her tenacity in the cage, willingness to self promote, and undeniable good looks made her a fighter clearly on the rise when she first hit the UFC Octagon. But even for a talent who so clearly had captured the public eye, breaking through proved difficult. Injuries took their toll, as did struggles to find the right training environment. After getting released by the UFC in 2020 it appears PVZ has left the MMA world behind.

Paige VanZant says OnlyFans income dwarfs UFC career pay

In a recent interview with Barstool Sports, VanZant talked about her post UFC career. While that included a short (and reportedly very well paying) stint with bare knuckle boxing promotion BKFC, the biggest moneymaker in VanZant’s career has become her OnlyFans page. In fact, she’s apparently made so much money on the platform that the combat sports world couldn’t even pretend to compete.

“I definitely have,” VanZant admitted when asked if she’d made more money on OnlyFans than she did fighting (transcript via MMA Junkie). “I’d say when I made the switch to OnlyFans—there’s a lot of stuff I’ve done in my career and I’ve been really fortunate my career even outside of the UFC and outside of fighting has been pretty successful. I’ve worked pretty hard in other industries and trying to cross over to more of a mainstream personality.

“But yes, OnlyFans has definitely been my largest source of income. I would say combined, in my fighting career, I think I’ve made more money in 24 hours on OnlyFans than I did in my entire fighting career combined.”

Paige VanZant on making more ‘adult’ content

After amassing millions of fans on her Instagram, Paige VanZant made the move to OnlyFans back in 2021. That decision didn’t come without some trepidation, however. Initially VanZant tried to start her own private social media service for fans to subscribe to her exclusive content, in part because she wasn’t interested in being associated with OnlyFans’ more X-rated branding. Eventually, however she made the jump to the popular subscription site.

“I was nervous about the stigma but now it’s hard to walk away from,” VanZant told Barstool of making more mature content for OnlyFans. “… But I feel like if you’re one of those people who were born poor and grew up poor and then you become rich, it’s almost like you always just feel poor. You always want to continue to work hard.

“I am lucky I’m in a position where I’ve been able to help my family, My husband and I help our family. We do everything we can to bring everybody up to the table. … For me, it justifies doing exclusive content knowing that I’m helping take care of everybody around me.”

VanZant hasn’t competed in any kind of combat sport since her two-fight BKFC run in 2021. She was scheduled for another bare knuckle fight in late 2022, but the bout was eventually scrapped and her opponent re-booked. She made a brief run in professional wrestling as well, performing for AEW between 2021-22, however she has not made an appearance for the promotion this year.

Ex-UFC champ says no to Jorge Masvidal’s bareknuckle show

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, MMA News

Bareknuckle fighting has become something of a landing spot for yesterday’s MMA stars. Whether it’s boxing offshoots or, as is the case here un-gloved MMA with Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred FC. Fighters like Fabricio Werdum & Junior Dos Santos (who are facing off in the main event of the Gamebred Bareknuckle show on September 8th), Roy Nelson, and Luke Rockhold have all made the move to bareknuckle combat in recent months.

Alongside JDS and Werdum, the upcoming September, the Gamebred card will feature UFC vets Brandon Jenkins, Anthony Njokuani, Irwin Rivera, Joshua Weems, Brandon Davis, and Maki Pitolo. It was also apparently supposed to feature another former UFC champion.

Ex-UFC champ Renan Barao nixes Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight

Back in late June MMA Fighting reported the tentative lineup for this Gamebred fight card. Alongside confirming the rumored heavyweight main event, they also announced a fight between Renan Barao and Sean Soriano. For Barao, the booking appeared to be just the latest attempt to reboot his combat sports career.

Ex-UFC champion Renan Barao in 2019.
Ex-UFC champion Renan Barao in 2019. – Joe Camporeale IMAGO/USA Today

Despite having not fought as a professional since 2019, Barao has been announced as a competitor for five separate promotions now. A planned 2020 fight with UFC vet Bobby Moffett for Taura MMA in 2020 fell apart due to COVID restrictions, and a 2021 headlining bout with Premier FC was cancelled when Barao’s opponent no-showed the event. 2022 fights with Eagle FC and Ares FC both failed to materialize as well.

The only time Barao has found himself in the cage lately was an exhibition bout against Brazilian politician Simao Peixoto. In what was very obviously a completely worked fight, Barao even lost that one, by submission in the third round.

Perhaps given his recent track record of fight cancellations and an embarrassing sideshow performance, it’s not much of a surprise to find out that Barao’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight isn’t happening. Especially considering, as far as I can tell, Gamebred FC never actually advertised the bout to anyone beyond assumedly releasing the info that the bout was planned to MMA Fighting.

In a recent followup story MMA Fighting reached out to Barao, who notified the publication that while he had been in talks with Gamebred, he never actually signed a contract for the event.

Renan Barao to fight on Alash Pride card?

Unlike Jorge Masvidal’s post-UFC project, Kazakh promotion Alash Pride has been advertising Renan Barao’s signing with the promotion to the public. Alash Pride 89 takes place on September 9th in Astana, Kazakhstan. The event is set to be headlined by former UFC bantamweight Diego Brandao taking on 12-3 featherweight Karshyga Dautbek. Renan Barao was announced for a fight with 14-4 featherweight Bagdos Olzhabay.

As of August 31st, however, there’s no sign that Barao has any intentions of competing in Kazakhstan either. The 36-year-old was last seen back in July competing on the International Master’s circuit at an IBJJF event. Olzhabay is currently booked to take on former UFC bantamweight Dileno Lopes instead.

Michael Venom Page should skip the UFC

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, Bellator, MMA News

For the last decade, one of Bellator’s most successful and notable home-grown prospects has been former W.A.K.O. semi-contact kickboxing champion Michael ‘Venom’ Page. After years of traditional martial arts training, Page made the jump to MMA, where his elusive, power-striking style made him an instant attention getter.

Page went just 3-0 on the regional UK and neophyte Indian MMA scenes before signing to his first contract with America’s number 2 promotion. He took his last MMA bout outside the Bellator cage in 2014, and has been part of the organization ever since.

Michael Venom Page’s draw was never about being the best

The years that followed MVP’s jump to Bellator were marked by a steady stream of thrilling knockouts and a steady stream of critique about a lack of meaningful competition. The Paramount Global company seemingly slow played Page’s star potential, building him to a 14-0 unbeaten record before throwing him into the cage with former welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

As many had long expected, when faced with an opponent who wasn’t instantly over-awed (or entirely washed from age and cagewear), MVP’s game looked a lot less fearsome and dynamic. From Page’s standpoint, that 2019 booking had the feeling of a complete mess.

It’s a credit to him though, that after Bellator went back to building him up slowly with a couple more badly over-matched fighters and men not dangerous or dynamic enough to close him down, that MVP took a second shot at Lima in 2021—defeating him by split decision. It was unquestionably a better performance from Page—he didn’t get KO’d for one—but despite showing off his continued danger as a striker, it also showed that there still wasn’t much wrestling or depth to the then 34-year-old’s game.

A fight against Logan Storley for the interim welterweight title the next year very much exposed that fact. With Page losing a split decision to Storley’s wrestle-heavy game. Since then, Page has competed just once in MMA, defeating Goiti Yamauchi via leg kick TKO in just 26-seconds back in March.

As was ever the case, the man has continued to be a highlight machine in just the right kind of bookings. But there are no signs that opponents with a reasonable takedown arsenal and a strong top game aren’t still the kryptonite to MVP’s powers. Page is at his best when he’s in a promotion designed for him to shine—the UFC’s sluice box styled matchmaking, meant to shake out elite-level performers in a constant grind of tough fights likely has no interest in being that.

MVP’s boxing interests leave him perfectly positioned for other opportunities

Alongside his MMA career, one of the most recent bouts Page has taken part in came not inside the cage, but inside the ring instead. MVP took his talents over to bare-knuckle boxing last August, with a fight against former UFC talent Mike Perry at BKFC 27 in London. Page wasn’t successful, but acquitted himself decently, losing a majority decision to ‘Platinum’ after the two men initial battled to a 5-round split draw.

Also in the midst of his Bellator run, Page took a pair of traditional-rules pro boxing bouts in 2017-2018, winning both by knockout. At 36, the man pretty certainly doesn’t have any sort of comprehensive career ahead of him as a top level pugilist. But in the current climate of celebrity boxing crossovers, opportunities are almost certainly out there for him to make some solid money against opponents of similar or lower skill.

Those are the kinds of opportunities that will be closed off to Page if he looks for a contract with the world’s largest MMA promotion. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, MVP talked about his plans for the future, and the possibility of a return to bare knuckle boxing.

“It may be something I want to do again,” Page admitted, speaking of his one-off BKFC bout. “Most of my family and friends would probably be against me on that one, but it’s definitely something I might do again, simply because I don’t like to go out on a loss.”

“I love fighting,” Page added, when asked what interested him right now. “I love turning into that person. I love feeling that energy that I get walking down the ramp towards cage, ring, mat, whatever it is.”

If he really wants to keep his options open—to chase a future fight with Mike Perry or try his hands in a pair of boxing gloves again, or even to take a few more kickboxing bouts—the UFC is not a place that’ll let that kind of creativity happen.

Bellator free agency was actually an accident

In fact, in all honesty, fans may very well see Page end up right back where he started. He’s sounded very open to the idea of re-signing with Bellator when all’s said and done. There’s the potential for a fight with welterweight champ Yaroslav Amosov out there sometime in the future, and the real truth is that Page never meant to test free agency in the first place.

When he fought Yamauchi, this last spring, the idea that his contract was ending was never discussed. All parties only realized that he had fought out his deal after the fight was over and Page started looking to get his next bout in place.

“[Bellator officials are] normally a lot sharper on that, and even usually when you’ve still got a few fights left, they’re already talking about what the progression is,” Page told Ariel Helwani in a recent interview on the MMA Hour (transcript via MMA Fighting). “So I think there’s a lot going on in the back office with their potential transition as well, and new owners, and so on and so forth.

“So yeah, I definitely feel like they kind of missed something there, but I think things happen for a reason in my opinion. I think it all happened for me to be able to have this space now and to make this decision, to actually say to myself, ‘OK cool, let me explore the waters in the MMA ocean and see see what bites.”

MVP has found his place in the combat sports ecosystem as a highlight machine on some of the biggest stages combat sports have to offer. A jump to the UFC could mean the possibility of some long term huge future payday. But much more likely it seems like he’d just end up swallowed up in sea of other elite talents looking to make their mark in the Octagon.

https://soundcloud.com/bloody-elbow-podcast/mayra-bueno-silva-emerges-as-a-bw-contender-6th-round-post-fight-show?in=bloody-elbow-podcast/sets/all-episodes&si=3cd3e0acd7134f0dae360e34f521ef31&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Once champs, UFC heavyweight vets meet again in bare knuckle MMA

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA: Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum, MMA News

The lure of bare knuckle fighting has grabbed another couple of yesteryear’s stars. Back in 2018, bare knuckle boxing made a sanctioned return to the US on a big stage for the first time in over 100 years. What seemed like it might be nothing more than a passing fad, here for a couple quick cards before everyone remembered what they don’t like about bare knuckle fighting (the injuries and the blood), instead became a fundamental part of the modern combat sports landscape.

In large part, it seems like the continuing interest in bare knuckle fighting is buoyed by a large pool of talent from MMA. Fighters who have found themselves worn out by the years of wrestling and grappling, but with a striking toolkit that doesn’t necessarily leave them well equipped for Queensbury rules boxing. The allowance for more clinch work, collar ties and other infighting modifactions in the bare knuckle game seem to be just the edge longtime mixed martial artists need for striking-only competition.

As an offshoot of the unexpected popularity of bare knuckle boxing, it’s a little ironic then that we’re also now getting bare knuckle MMA. The sport that moved to 4oz gloves just 26 years ago is losing them again, thanks to former UFC title contender Jorge Masvidal and his Gamebred FC promotion.

Ex-UFC heavyweight champs Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum get rematch

Well before either man ever won UFC gold, Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum met at back in 2008 on the main card of the UFC 90 PPV. The bout marked the Octagon debut for JDS, who brutalized ‘Vai Cavalo’ with a huge uppercut for the first round knockout. That loss also marked Werdum’s exit from the promotion, and a jump to Strikeforce that would lead to the most iconic victory of the Brazilian’s career—a triangle choke over Fedor Emelianenko.

Werdum returned to the UFC four years after his release, after the then-Fertitta owned promotion purchased Strikeforce from Showtime. Despite an eight-year stretch from 2012 to 2020 that saw both JDS and Werdum compete for (and in the latter’s case, win) the heavyweight strap, they never got the chance to run back their 2008 meeting. Now, it appears they will.

Sherdog reports that JDS vs. Werdum 2 will act as the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5. The event is set to go down at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL. No other bouts have been announced for the fight card at this time.

Recent history

Despite their fantastic credentials and long resumes featuring numerous accolades, recent history has been far less auspicious to these former champs. Dos Santos last fought for UFC gold back in 2017, after which he went on a 3-fight winning streak, culminating in a 2019 FOTN win over Derrick Lewis. That victory led him into a bout against future divisional king Francis Ngannou, who knocked ‘Cigano’ out just 1:11 into the first round.

Dos Santos lost his next three fights via TKO, resulting in his exit from the UFC. After two years on the sidelines, he returned to action at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion, losing to Yorgan De Castro, the result of a shoulder injury suffered late in the bout. His fight against Werdum will be the first time JDS has stepped in the cage since that injury.

For Werdum, fight results haven’t been nearly so unkind to the 45 year old, but his career hasn’t seen much success lately either. After a 2018 loss to Alexander Volkov, Werdum was suspended for two years for a violation of USADA’s drug policy. That sentence was eventually reduced due to “substantial assistance” provided by the fight, and the Akhmat Fight Club rep returned to action in 2020, losing a split decision to Alexey Oleynik.

Werdum only fought once more in the UFC, defeating Alexander Gustafsson, before entering free agency and signing for the PFL. That marriage was short lived. Werdum competed only once for the PFL, in 2021, where he was knocked out by Renan Ferreira. The result was eventually overturned, but Werdum withdrew from future competition due to injury and eventually appears to have negotiated an exit from the organization. His fight against JDS will be his first in more than two years.

https://soundcloud.com/bloody-elbow-podcast/ufc-vegas-76-6th-round-post-fight-show?in=bloody-elbow-podcast/sets/all-episodes&si=ee9b7017e12849639e83857367a752d5&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

‘It’s a left or a right, it’s not that confusing’ – Mike Perry claps back on Luke Rockhold’s enigmatic boxing

Posted on by Zane Simon in Bare Knuckle Fighting, BKFC 41: Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold, Boxing, Celebrity Boxing, MMA News

Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold are set to share the cage at BKFC 41 this weekend. For the former UFC middleweight champion, this fight will mark his boxing debut. It also marks another stage in a long and unsettled series of late-career moves for the noted AKA talent and current Henri Hooft trained fighter.

Now 38-years-old, Rockhold is clearly no longer the competitor he once was when he captured the Strikeforce middleweight title and then went on a five-fight unbeaten streak in the Octagon—following a shocking KO loss to Vitor Belfort in his UFC debut—to capture gold there as well. He’s been plagued by recurring injuries, dogged by durability issues, lost a step or two of speed. More than any of that, though, the confidence and fire that marked his biggest successes seems to have been difficult to find.

That’s likely largely due to two brutal knockout losses at the hands of Michael Bisping and Yoel Romero, the latter of which, coupled with a nasty shin injury, pushed Rockhold out of competition for more than a year. When he returned—at light heavyweight against Jan Blachowicz in 2019—he looked nowhere near the dynamic, hard-nosed competitor he had once been. A short-lived retirement seemed to recapture some of that fire for his 2022 bout against Paulo Costa, but along with time and wear, it wasn’t enough to see Rockhold on his way to victory.

Luke Rockhold making boxing debut

Now out of the UFC, and looking to make his mark on the free agent combat sports market, Rockhold has landed with BKFC to try his hand in a whole new sport: Bare Knuckle Boxing. His opponent? Another familiar face to MMA fans, former UFC welterweight action-fight talent Mike Perry.

Having left the world’s largest MMA promotion behind in 2021, Perry was an instant fit in the increasingly common crossover world to boxing and bare-knuckle fighting. He’s currently 2-0 in the BKFC ring, with victories over Julian Lane of “Let me bang, bro!” TUF fame, and feature Bellator attraction Michael ‘Venom’ Page. Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold are set to clash this Saturday at BKFC 41 in Broomfield, CO.

Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold exchange barbs

Ahead of their fight, they got on a chance to do a little verbal sparring in a video conference call hosted by the MMA Hour. That’s where Rockhold revealed what he believes will be his big edge over his opponent.

“Mike, I know who you are,” Rockhold said, while speaking of his own enigma (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I’ve seen who you are and everyone knows what you bring to the table. You’ve been doing your thing for a while. You’ve been boxing. Yeah, it’s apparent you can box. You’re a little f dog and you like to come forward. No one’s ever seen me box. No one’s ever seen me isolated in this spectrum and no one’s ever seen me move like this. You don’t know what to expect. I know what to expect.”

Perry, for his part, was not all that impressed by the idea that BJJ black belt might be bringing something special to the table as a boxer.

“It’s a left or a right, it’s not that confusing,” Perry responded. “It’s a left or a right hand, footwork, some head movement. You’re southpaw, I’m orthodox. You’re rangy, I’m an inside fighter. It’s not that confusing. But it will be when I’m out there in front of you. I’m better than everybody who trained with. Every boxer you trained with for this, I’m better than them.”

Despite Perry’s insistence that he’s got Rockhold’s number, the California native is confident he’ll be able to outsmart his opponent in the ring.

“I feel like people are underestimating me like they always do,” Rockhold added, speaking of his game. “Mike’s in this game, he’s done his thing. I’ve handicapped myself. He’s moving up. It’s a perfect f-cking storm. We’re going to fight. He’s coming forward and I’m going to f-cking [outsmart] him all over that f-cking ring. That’s all he’s got. He’s going to come forward swinging for the fences, I’m going to f-cking stick, I’m going to move, I’m going to crack, I’m going to come forward, I’m going to back up. I’m going to do everything. I’m going to do it.”

“That’s not how I fight, man,” Perry responded. “I don’t f-cking swing for the fences. I’m pretty calculated.”

BKFC 41 goes down on April 29th at the 1stBank Center and airs live on iPPV. Here’s a look at the full fight card:

BKFC 41 fight card

  • Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold
  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes
  • Bec Rawlings vs. Christine Ferea
  • Chris Camozzi vs. Dan Spohn
  • Brandon Girtz vs. Christian Torres
  • Jessie Stadler vs. Roderick Stewart
  • Matthew Maestas vs. Dillion Winemiller
  • Mike Alvarado vs. James Brown
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Josh Copeland
  • Mitch Seybold vs. Jack Willoughby
  • BJ Lawrence vs. Wayna Reid
  • Marcus Edwards vs. Jay Jackson