Eddie Alvarez is a big believer in bare knuckle boxing as a sport.
Alvarez made his BKFC debut back in April against fellow ex-UFC fighter Chad Mendes in a five-round barnburner, which Eddie won via split decision. “The Underground King” is set for his second bare knuckle bout when he meets another former UFC fighter in Mike Perry at BKFC 56 on December 2.
Middle Easy‘s Mike Owens got a chance to speak with Eddie Alvarez, and the former UFC and Bellator champion had some huge praise for bare knuckle.
Eddie Alvarez On Bare Knuckle
Alvarez believes bare knuckle can make serious waves as a combat sport. He also explained how bare knuckle can actually be safer than MMA for fighters.
“I think bare knuckle will be the next best sport there is,” Alvarez said. “I feel like it’s fighter friendly because doing five, five-minute rounds of grappling and kicking it lends itself to a lot of injuries that happen in the training camps and it’s very difficult to get to the fights uninjured.”
Alvarez Praises PFL-Bellator Merger
Alvarez was then asked about his thoughts on the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator. It’s clear that he’s a fan of the move.
“I love seeing news like that,” Alvarez said. “I love seeing news that helps the fighter make a better living. Fighting is a difficult life and just the job itself is nerve-racking. You know, you’re scared a lot of the time, you don’t know when the next check’s coming or if you’re injured. It’s very uncertain.”
Alvarez went on to say that he’s long been pro-fighter.
“Anything outside of the big 500-pound gorilla in the UFC, anything outside of that that’s building an organization and being able to possibly compete at some point is great for the fighters and I’ve always been for the fighters. I’m not necessarily a company man.”
Here is Middle Easy’s full interview with Eddie Alvarez:
