The state of Pennsylvania celebrated the legalization of bare-knuckle boxing with BKFC’s “Knuckle Mania 5” on Saturday night, a card which featured numerous notable MMA figures who have transitioned into the niche combat sport in recent years.
The biggest winner of the night was 34-fight UFC vet Jeremy Stephens, who stepped into a heel role as he overcame Philadelphia’s own Eddie Alvarez inside the Wells Fargo Arena.
A back-and-forth main event suddenly swung in favor of Stephens following a pair of knockdowns, causing a corner stoppage from Alvarez after three two-minute rounds had fully elapsed.
Stephens, 38, floored Alvarez, 41, with a pair of violent right hook knockdowns in the third round of the fight, causing significant bruising on the former UFC Lightweight Champion’s face and leaving him looking defeated as he went back to his corner in-between rounds.
Stephens is one of the many examples of an MMA fighter who has found a career in bare-knuckle promotion BKFC after struggles in his prior hustles. Saturday marked his third consecutive victory since switching over to the combat sport in late 2023, previously beating Bobby Taylor and Jimmie Rivera.
A three-fight winning streak was long unseen for Stephens before his BKFC run, having suffered a long string of losses between UFC and PFL appearances since 2018.
“I lost so many times in the UFC, like a thousand times,” Stephens said after his win on Saturday. “But I pulled myself back together, a thousand-and-three f****** times.”
A fired-up Stephens caught the attention of BKFC part-owner Conor McGregor, who heard the main eventer mention claims that the promotion and McGregor specifically was against him heading into the fight.
McGregor went face-to-face and seemingly called for a bare-knuckle fight against Stephens, although the former champ’s active UFC contract would most likely prevent him from partaking in the fantasy-booked matchup.
This weekend was the bare-knuckle boxing return for Alvarez, who was coming back following a late 2023 loss to Mike Perry.
While Stephens received the main event spotlight for his three-round win against Alvarez, fellow UFC talent Ben Rothwell had a much easier night at the office in the co-main event.
Rothwell took down BKFC Heavyweight Champion Mick Terrill in just 36 seconds, landing a right hook which immediately put an end to the fight. Rothwell has yet to lose since making the transition to bare-knuckle boxing in 2022.
Other MMA crossover names who earned wins earlier in the night included former UFC and Bellator talent Bec Rawlings, plus ex-PFL talents Phil Caracappa and Itso Babulaidze.
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