UFC veterans Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez clash heads during intense stare-down ahead of King of ·
Jessica Burns
Former mixed martial arts stars Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez came face-to-face during a pre-fight press conference on Thursday.
The former UFC fighters will headline the latest Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship [BKFC] event at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday evening.
Whoever wins will walk away with the ‘BKFC King of Violence’ title, akin to the UFC BMF belt that was on the line for Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje 2.
After trading barbs in front of the world's media, Perry and Alvarez squared off while BKFC president Dave Feldman stood in the middle of them and raised the newly created title aloft.
‘The Underground King’ turned his hat backwards to get as close as possible to Perry who happily went forehead to forehead during a heated face-off.
Both men were muttering words under their breath before a member of security intervened, broke up the stare-down and told them to face the audience.
Perry and Alvarez did just that after posing with their fists in the air.
At a previous press event, the two rivals traded body shots during a bizarre scene that thankfully ended before things got ugly.
‘Platinum’ has become a bare-knuckle boxing star since leaving the UFC in 2021.
The 32-year-old has picked up wins over MMA veteran Julian Lane, British KO artist Michael ‘Venom’ Page and former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
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Alvarez, who famously shared the Octagon with Conor McGregor in 2016, made his BKFC debut earlier this year against former UFC featherweight contender Chad Mendes.
They went toe-to-toe for five rounds in a fight that got McGregor, who was sitting ringside and shouting instructions, excited about the bloody sport.
Luke Rockhold puts Mike Perry in a chokehold at face-off ahead of the pair's fight under Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bannerAlvarez ultimately walked away with a split decision win before setting up one of the most eagerly anticipated fights in bare-knuckle boxing history.
Fellow UFC veterans Jimmie Rivera and Jermy Stephens will face off on the BKFC 56 undercard that includes two title bouts at flyweight and featherweight.
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