Eddie Alvarez tests skills with Chad Mendes at BKFC 41: Perry vs. Rockhold on April 29th.
The fistic fireworks broadcast on the BKFC TV App and Fite TV with the main card kicking off at 9 PM Eastern time.
Alvarez spoke with Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News and excerpts from the pre-fight chat are below.
Eddie Alvarez
This is really one of those fights that just jumps off a poster. What was the temperament when this forum fantasy matchup offer came your way? I imagine you were quite excited.
“Yeah, I like that. You know, Chad’s always been a beast all throughout MMA. Even up until he retired, he still was going against the best guys in the world. So yeah, he’s a lot like myself where he didn’t take on any small-time competition. He fought the best guys in his division, went after them. Whether he came up short or whether he won, he fought the best guys and his path was honest. Well, somewhat honest.”
Eddie Alvarez continued, “So I like his fights, I like his fight style, and even better, I think we match up even better in a bare-knuckle match than we do in MMA. I think it’s more appealing to the fans. Cuts out all the lulls, all the stalling, and we get right down to action.”
Considering your early street fighting days in Kensington, will this be the most capably violent Eddie Alvarez we’ve ever seen?
“Yeah like a lot of people were like hey, so this is your first bare-knuckle fight. Yeah, I guess. The first one I’ve got paid for (laughs). I mean this is how I started my career. This is why like I joined fighting period because I just kind of did really well in street fights. I never lost a street fight in my entire life. I believed that at a certain age, I couldn’t be beat in a fight.”
Eddie Alvarez continued, “From 19 all the way up until I was undefeated 10-0 in MMA. I just; I think I had this delusion, I don’t know what you want to call it, but I just felt like I couldn’t lose in a fight period. Without gloves on my entire life, I hadn’t lost a fight. I’ve lost MMA fights, I’ve lost wrestling matches, but I’ve never lost in a bare-knuckle fight ever in my life.”
BKFC 41
Is the enthusiasm such for bare-knuckle that if you string together some strong wins, maybe a title in BKFC could be a defined goal?
“Why not? (laughs). I say all the time like I don’t really make plans. I said plans are for schemers. I’m not a schemer, so. I never truly planned on fist-fighting for twenty years and we’re going on our second decade pretty soon now. This year, it’ll be twenty years fighting. I started this sport when I was 19 years old. When I was 19, I wouldn’t tell you that I was going to end up fighting for a lifetime. I never damn sure would tell you I’d win all the world titles I have, made a career out of it, and millions of dollars.”
“I stopped making plans a long time ago. I just wake up, put my head down, and work hard. Let the lord make my plans for me. So I couldn’t tell you like I have this plan schemed out and this is what I’m doing, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to fight Chad Mendes April 29th. I have every intention on putting my hand through Chad’s head and then moving on to the next opponent. The bigger and better, bigger money fights. That’s the only intention. That’s the only plan I can give to you right now.”
BKFC
Some of the language that you’re using seems to indicate you’re seeing a finish in this one. Do you have a particular idea of how you see the story of this fight unfurling?
“Anybody who watches Chad and watches myself I mean like if you were to say this fight is going to go to a final bell, I don’t know. Maybe you’ve never watched us fight before. But the sparring that I’m putting in now. I’ve seen what Chad’s worked on, I’ve seen what he’s doing, and what he’s capable of, you’d be a fool to think that this thing is going to go past any more than like six minutes. I think six minutes would be a long time for this fight to go.”
“I think it should get hashed out fairly quickly within the first three rounds. I don’t think if I land a shot on Chad he’s going to be able to stand it. He has hard shots himself. So I’m going to stay in there until my dying breath. I don’t know, I’m a big guy at 165. 165 is my premier weight class.”
Eddie Alvarez continued, “It’s where I’m the largest, I’m the fastest, and that’s my weight class. I don’t know if I could be any better. So it’s going to be difficult not just for Chad. No offense against Chad but against anybody in the world at 165, I’m going to be a really bad, terrible problem to deal with.”
