Luke Rockhold’s debut in bare-knuckle fighting at BKFC 41 had a fast start but ended on a disappointing note. Despite his valiant efforts, Rockhold was unable to continue after he stopped the fight in the second round and motioned to the referee, Dan Miragliotta, that something was wrong with his mouth. Initially, it seemed like he may have suffered a broken jaw from the damage inflicted by his opponent, Mike Perry.

Upon assessing the situation, Miragliotta stopped the contest. It was only after the event that David Feldman, the president of BKFC, revealed that Rockhold had absorbed some serious damage to his mouth, resulting in some cracked teeth which prevented him from continuing.

Despite the loss, Rockhold put up a good fight against a veteran in Perry. In the opening round, he landed the first big punch of the match that had the Denver crowd on its feet. Perry quickly retaliated, continuously stepping in and unloading punches in succession as well as blasting away at Rockhold’s body before moving back up to the head. By the end of the first round, blood was streaming down Rockhold’s face, and it is now clear that it was likely from the damage he absorbed to his mouth.

In the second round, Perry continued to target the body, punishing Rockhold’s ribs every time he closed the distance. It was after one of these furious exchanges that Rockhold called over the ref to show him what had happened, and the fight was stopped.

With this win, Perry secured his third victory in bare-knuckle competition, while Rockhold returned home with his first defeat in BKFC. If you’re wondering what’s next for Rockhold, it looks like a trip to the dentist is in his very near future.