Eddie Alvarez will need time to recover after suffering a broken orbital bone as a result of his two-round war with Mike Perry in the BKFC 56 main event.
The former UFC lightweight champion confirmed his injuries on Monday after first speculating that he likely had a broken orbital, which caused significant swelling on the left side of his face. After sitting down in the corner at the end of the second round, Alvarez’s head coach Mark Henry ultimately waved off the fight and the bout was stopped with Perry earning the TKO victory.
“Confirmed two fractures in my left orbital one was [a] refracture,” Alvarez wrote on Twitter. “[Would have] been a thing of beauty to close out to the show for the fans. I felt great.
“This game is wild and unpredictable as can be. It’s why I love it. The show goes on! Love you guys.”
Confirmed 2 fractures in my left orbital , one was e refracture … Woulda been a thing of beauty to close out to the show for the fans , I felt great … this game is Wild and unpredictable as can be … it’s why I love it The Show goes on ! Love you guys ❤️
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) December 4, 2023
Despite the result, Alvarez definitely came to fight after he scored several huge punches on Perry throughout the opening round as he busted up the bare-knuckle veteran, especially with a slick lead jab that kept finding a home.
Perry came out guns blazing in the second round where he started inflicting more and more damage on Alvarez as the fighters kept blasting away at each other until the bell sounded.
It was after returning to his corner that Alvarez’s coaches saw the swelling that continued to grow larger by the second with his eye effectively shut, which obviously would have compromised his ability to continue moving forward.
That’s what led to the stoppage with Perry moving to 4-0 in his bare-knuckle fighting career since joining the BKFC roster. Meanwhile, Alvarez had nothing but praise for Perry with his record in BKFC dropping to 1-1 with the loss.
“My hat’s off to Mike Perry,” Alvarez said at the BKFC 56 post-fight press conference. “The guy’s a f****** battle ax. He can take a shot, he can keep plodding forward and give them. He reminds me of myself a lot, so I was fighting a little mirror of myself in there tonight and Mike was the better man. Look, I take my wins, I’ll take my losses the same way — with my head [held] high.”
There’s no exact timeline for recovery from broken orbital bone but Alvarez will need time off to allow the injury to heal before he can endure face contact again for another fight.