Luke Rockhold’s bare-knuckle debut at BKFC 41 ended disappointingly when he was unable to continue due to cracked teeth inflicted by opponent Mike Perry.
Luke Rockhold experienced a quick beginning but a disheartening conclusion in his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC 41. The former UFC middleweight champion was compelled to halt the action in the second round of his encounter with Mike Perry, signaling to referee Dan Miragliotta that there was an issue with his mouth. Initially, it seemed as though Rockhold might have sustained a broken jaw due to the damage inflicted by Perry, as Miragliotta stopped the contest after just one glance at him.
BKFC president David Feldman later explained the reason behind the stoppage at the BKFC 41 post-fight press conference. He said, “Luke Rockhold, some of his teeth got cracked. So that’s why he wasn’t able to continue. His teeth got messed up pretty good. What a great start to that fight. Great fight.” Prior to the stoppage, Rockhold put up a strong front against Perry, a bare-knuckle fighting veteran. The two engaged in several heavy exchanges during the opening round, with Rockhold landing the first significant punch, wobbling Perry and thrilling the Denver audience.
Perry quickly retaliated by repeatedly stepping into the pocket and successively unloading punches, targeting both Rockhold’s body and head. By the end of the first round, Rockhold’s face was bloodied, with the damage to his mouth becoming apparent. In the second round, Perry continued to focus on punishing Rockhold’s ribs, and it was after one such exchange that Rockhold called the referee over to display the extent of his mouth’s injury, resulting in the fight’s termination.
The victory advanced Perry to a 3-0 record in bare-knuckle competitions, while Rockhold suffered defeat in his BKFC debut, making a dental appointment an imminent necessity.