Perry beats Alvarez by corner stoppage in BKFC 56 main event

Mike Perry stayed perfect in bare-knuckle boxing Saturday night, defeating former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez via TKO in the BKFC 56 main event in Salt Lake City.

Alvarez's corner stopped the fight after the second round seemingly due to severe swelling under his left eye.

Perry captured the inaugural "King of Violence" title with the victory. Afterward, the former UFC welterweight expressed interest in a clash with Conor McGregor. "Platinum" did a faceoff with the UFC superstar in April after a win over Luke Rockhold.

There was no feeling-out process between Perry and Alvarez, with both fighters inflicting significant amounts of damage on each other in just four minutes of brutal action.

Alvarez got the better of the exchanges in the first round with crisper and more accurate striking. He landed a slick combination and then a flurry of shots late.

The tide turned in the second round. Perry wobbled Alvarez and busted him up with heavy punches. Alvarez managed to stay upright and continued firing back.

BKFC president Dave Feldman said on the broadcast he hopes to book a rematch between Perry and Alvarez.

Perry is now 4-0 in BKFC since making his debut in February 2022. He has beaten Julian Lane, longtime Bellator star Michael "Venom" Page, former UFC middleweight champ Rockhold, and now Alvarez. Perry notably stopped Rockhold by second-round TKO.

Perry crossed over to bare-knuckle boxing after parting ways with the UFC in 2021 on the heels of consecutive defeats. The 32-year-old Florida resident spent five years in the UFC.

Alvarez made his BKFC debut in April, beating former UFC featherweight contender Chad Mendes via split decision in a back-and-forth barnburner, and is now 1-1 in the promotion. Alvarez, 39, is the former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion.

He told theScore earlier this week he is focused on BKFC but still could return to MMA. Alvarez last competed in that sport in April 2021 while signed to ONE Championship.