Luke Rockhold vs. Mike Perry, Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes Booked for BKFC 41

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will be bringing some new star power to the ring in the near future.

Promotion president Dave Feldman revealed Wednesday on ”The MMA Hour” that BKFC will feature Luke Rockhold vs. Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes on the April 29 card at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo. Rockhold and Alvarez are new free-agent signings for the promotion. While the majority of BKFC events are available through the app for a monthly subscription fee, BKFC 41 will air on pay-per-view for $49.99.

“We have to do it, obviously, to be able to pay for these guys,” Feldman said.

Rockhold returned from a three-year absence at UFC 279, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Paulo Costa. The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion announced his retirement after the bout. He later walked back that decision after being granted his release from the UFC. The 38-year-old Californian lost four of his last five Octagon appearances – three via knockout or technical knockout.

Perry is 2-0 under the BKFC banner, with victories over Bellator contender Michael Page and two-time “Ultimate Fighter” cast member Julian Lane to his credit. “Platinum went 7-8 during a tenure with the UFC that began in 2016.

Alvarez parted ways with One Championship last year after going 1-2 with a no contest while competing for the Singapore based promotion. In his most recent appearance, the 39-year-old former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion dropped a unanimous decision to Rae Yoon Ok at One on TNT 4 in April 2021.

Mendes retired from MMA in 2019 before signing with BKFC in 2021. He made his debut in February 2022, when he defeated Joshuah Alvarez via fourth-round TKO. Mendes is a former UFC featherweight title challenger who ended his promotion tenure with losses in four of his last six appearances.