28 April 2023 , 14:22
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Luke Rockhold 'choked' Mike Perry during their staredown before the former UFC stars meet in a bare-knuckle boxing fight.
Rockhold, 38, makes his BKFC debut this Saturday when he takes on Perry, 31, in the main event of a card that also features a clash between former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Chad Mendes. Perry has been competing in bare-knuckle boxing for the past year and he controversially beat Bellator star Michael 'Venom' Page in his second fight for the promotion last August.
Rockhold makes his bare-knuckle debut against Perry and the pair had a bizarre staredown on Thursday to promote their fight. Rockhold tried to grab the 'Platinum' belt which was across Perry's shoulder which led to the fighters grabbing each other's hands. After posing for pictures, Rockhold then grabbed Perry's neck but then laughed off the seemingly hostile exchange before both leaving the stage.
Rockhold ended his UFC stint in January on the back of a miserable losing streak in which he was knocked out in three of his last five fights. The 38-year-old spent a decade fighting for the UFC with the height of his stint in the promotion coming at UFC 194 in December 2015 when he captured the middleweight belt by stopping Chris Weidman.
Perry didn't achieve the heights that Rockhold did during his UFC run, going 7-8 in the five years he spent competing in the octagon. Rockhold has remained open to a UFC return despite turning 39 in October, but the former champion has insisted it must be on his terms after previously clashing with the promotion over fighter pay.
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Who wins this Saturday - Luke Rockhold or Mike Perry? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Rockhold said of his fight against Perry: "I think this is the perfect comeback fight for me and it's the perfect step-up fight for Mike. One of us is gonna pass the test... I'm gonna pass with f****ng flying colours. I'm going to f*** Mike up, he's gotta come at me but I'm going to slice him up. He's going to get desperate and go for broke, then I'm going to put him face down a** up.
Perry, who competed a weight-class below Rockhold in the UFC, said of the clash: "Look at my face in the face of danger. I'm in some danger here aren't I? The big guy is coming after me. I'm going to get his a** though. I'm going to defend myself and offend him, I'm going to beat his a**, that's what I'm going to do. Bare-knuckle is on it's own level and I'm looking to be on my own level."