Eddie Alvarez earns split decision over Chad Mendes in five-round war – BKFC 41 Highlights
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez made his highly anticipated Barek Knuckle Fighting Championship debut on Saturday night. Stepping inside the squared circle for the first time, ‘The Underground King’ was tasked with taking out another former UFC standout, Chad Mendes, inside the 1stBank Center at BKFC 41.
Eddie Alvarez came out as the aggressor in the first round, but 60 seconds into the bout, ‘The Underground King’ ate a nasty right hand from his opponent. Alvarez drew blood first, firing back a left hand that cut Mendes just outside of his right eye. The second route started just as furious as the first with Mendes scoring a knockdown via a well-placed uppercut 20 seconds into the round. Alvarez quickly got back to his feet and kept things competitive through the four-minute mark of the fight.
Things quickly turned in the third with Alvarez scoring a knockdown of his own just seconds into the round. The fourth round saw Mendes unleash a series of bombs, gunning for a spectacular finish but was unable to land a finishing blow. The fifth round saw the most excitement with Alvarez landing a huge knockdown. Mendes answered the 10-count and stormed back, landing a glancing right that took Alvarez off balance. The referee ruled it a knockdown awarding each man a knockdown in the final round.
Official Result: Eddie Alvarez def. Chad Mendes via split decision (47-46, 46-47, 47-46)
