"I'm the real king of these streets" - Eddie Alvarez explains how street fighting experience played a major role in setting up Mike Perry clash
Eddie Alvarez has shed light upon how his wealth of street fighting experience contributed to setting up his upcoming fight against Mike Perry. Alvarez has competed in several notable MMA organizations.
Referred to as 'The Underground King', the 39-year-old Alvarez is a former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion. After his departure from ONE Championship in late 2022, Alvarez made his bare-knuckle boxing debut, beating fellow former UFC fighter Chad Mendes in a 165-pound bout at BKFC 41 in April 2023.
In an interview with Helen Yee before his BKFC 41 matchup, Eddie Alvarez explained that he'd partaken in a number of street fights before transitioning to the sport of MMA. Alvarez, who grew up in Kensington, Philadelphia, noted that Chad Mendes had cited his own past BKFC experience and insinuated that Alvarez doesn't know what it's like to fight bare knuckle.
During his conversation with Yee, Alvarez stated that he's had more street fights than MMA fights, which made him more experienced than Mendes and most others in bare-knuckle combat.
Check out Alvarez's comments from the April 2023 interview below (1:42):
In Alvarez's recent interview with Helen Yee following the BKFC 56 press conference, Yee brought up their conversation from April. Alvarez then suggested that his street fighting background set up the stage for his highly anticipated clash against former UFC welterweight Mike Perry:
"Yeah, I don't pride myself on – I don't tell people, 'I'm from the hood, and I've been in all these [fights].' That's not how I present myself. I'm trying to be better, trying to inspire a younger generation, not keep the hood, keep representing and doing. That's not where I'm trying to go at things.
"But yeah, I've been there. I'm from the hood, and I've been in a ton of street fights. And I think it's brought me to where I am today. And it's brought me to this moment, to let Mike Perry know that I'm the real king of these streets."
Watch Alvarez discuss the topic below (2:50):
The Mike Perry vs. Eddie Alvarez 175-pound bare-knuckle boxing match, for the symbolic 'King of Violence Championship', will headline BKFC 56 on December 2, 2023.
Eddie Alvarez addresses speculation surrounding his weight ahead of BKFC 56 fight with Mike Perry
During his latest interview with Helen Yee, Eddie Alvarez alluded that he's lately competed at 170 pounds or adjacent weights in his professional combat sports contests.
Alvarez primarily competed at lightweight (155 pounds) in Bellator and the UFC. His lightweight bouts in ONE Championship were at 170 pounds, as the 170-pound weight class is known as the lightweight division in the Singapore-based promotion.
The BKFC star suggested to Yee that he's bulked up and is unlikely to return to 155 pounds. 'The Underground King' indicated that his future would potentially be at 170 pounds and above, irrespective of the combat sport he competes in.