BKFC ‘KnuckleMania 5’ fight card, DAZN start time, date and location | Alvarez vs. Stephens Former UFC lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, collides with ex-UFC featherweight bruiser, Jeremy Stephens, inside the bareknuckle arena on Sat. night (Jan. 25, 2025) at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, topping a stacked BKFC “KnuckleMania 5” fight card on DAZN that also features former UFC 265-pound hurter, Ben Rothwell, challenging current BKFC division titleholder, Mick Terrill, for the heavyweight strap!
Watch Eddie Alvarez vs Jeremy Stephens Live Stream Online From Anywhere. No Cable or VPN Required. Onetime Payment, No hidden charge.
Click To: Eddie Alvarez vs Jeremy Stephens Live Anywhere Low Price
Click To: BKFC KnuckleMania 5 Live Anywhere Low Price
It's a massive weekend for Philly sports. In the NFL, Sunday's NFC championship game will decide one-half of Super Bowl LIX when the host Philadelphia Eagles collide with their oldest rival, the Washington Commanders. Saturday, however, will see fists fly when BKFC comes to town for KnuckleMania V inside the Wells Fargo Center.
Lightweight MMA legend and former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez takes center stage in the main event spotlight for a homecoming affair. The matchup with fellow seasoned veteran Jeremy Stephens will be Alvarez's first time competing in his native Philadelphia since a successful Bellator title defense against Roger Huerta in 2010.
The evening's co-main event will feature another notable name to MMA fans. "Big" Ben Rothwell will fight Mick Terrill for heavyweight gold, looking to remain undefeated in bare-knuckle boxing. In the fight before the championship tilt, another UFC veteran, Bec Rawlings, returns to action when she battles Taylor Starling.
If you've followed their MMA careers for the past 15 years, Alvarez vs. Stephens was a fight no one ever considered. That's not because it wouldn't have been a sure-fire war, but Alvarez's path to supremacy included a collection of titles outside the UFC before he eventually debuted in 2014. By then, the perennial fan-favorite slugger Stephens had taken his talents to the 145-pound featherweight division.
Stephens eventually returned to 155 pounds in 2021, three years after Alvarez parted ways with the promotion. Since then, they've enjoyed mixed results in and out of MMA but have found a home in BKFC. Each has fought twice in bare-knuckle boxing matches thus far, with Stephens undefeated and Alvarez beating Chad Mendes before a loss to Mike Perry.
Let's be honest here. There isn't much technique in a bare-knuckle match. Like a street fight, if you've ever seen a BKFC event, you'll know that these collisions are genuine human car crashes. Who can survive the most damage while dishing it out quickly?
Alvarez has the clear size advantage against "Lil Heathen" and has shown better durability in the latter portion of his career while fighting less frequently. Stephens has historically had one of the most impressive chins in MMA. The question in this matchup surrounds how power will translate for each at 175 pounds. Will Stephens' already solid knockout power increase, and will it be enough to stun the bigger Alvarez? Will Stephens' durability hold up to the power of "The Underground King"?
Considering what we've seen in their four combined BKFC bouts and the wear and tear of their MMA careers, it's difficult not to lean toward the former UFC champion. This could be Alvarez's swan song; he won't say goodbye without a bang.
Watch Eddie Alvarez vs Jeremy Stephens Live Stream Online From Anywhere. No Cable or VPN Required. Onetime Payment, No hidden charge.
Click To: Eddie Alvarez vs Jeremy Stephens Live Anywhere Low Price
Click To: BKFC KnuckleMania 5 Live Anywhere Low Price
It's a massive weekend for Philly sports. In the NFL, Sunday's NFC championship game will decide one-half of Super Bowl LIX when the host Philadelphia Eagles collide with their oldest rival, the Washington Commanders. Saturday, however, will see fists fly when BKFC comes to town for KnuckleMania V inside the Wells Fargo Center.
Lightweight MMA legend and former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez takes center stage in the main event spotlight for a homecoming affair. The matchup with fellow seasoned veteran Jeremy Stephens will be Alvarez's first time competing in his native Philadelphia since a successful Bellator title defense against Roger Huerta in 2010.
The evening's co-main event will feature another notable name to MMA fans. "Big" Ben Rothwell will fight Mick Terrill for heavyweight gold, looking to remain undefeated in bare-knuckle boxing. In the fight before the championship tilt, another UFC veteran, Bec Rawlings, returns to action when she battles Taylor Starling.
If you've followed their MMA careers for the past 15 years, Alvarez vs. Stephens was a fight no one ever considered. That's not because it wouldn't have been a sure-fire war, but Alvarez's path to supremacy included a collection of titles outside the UFC before he eventually debuted in 2014. By then, the perennial fan-favorite slugger Stephens had taken his talents to the 145-pound featherweight division.
Stephens eventually returned to 155 pounds in 2021, three years after Alvarez parted ways with the promotion. Since then, they've enjoyed mixed results in and out of MMA but have found a home in BKFC. Each has fought twice in bare-knuckle boxing matches thus far, with Stephens undefeated and Alvarez beating Chad Mendes before a loss to Mike Perry.
Let's be honest here. There isn't much technique in a bare-knuckle match. Like a street fight, if you've ever seen a BKFC event, you'll know that these collisions are genuine human car crashes. Who can survive the most damage while dishing it out quickly?
Alvarez has the clear size advantage against "Lil Heathen" and has shown better durability in the latter portion of his career while fighting less frequently. Stephens has historically had one of the most impressive chins in MMA. The question in this matchup surrounds how power will translate for each at 175 pounds. Will Stephens' already solid knockout power increase, and will it be enough to stun the bigger Alvarez? Will Stephens' durability hold up to the power of "The Underground King"?
Considering what we've seen in their four combined BKFC bouts and the wear and tear of their MMA careers, it's difficult not to lean toward the former UFC champion. This could be Alvarez's swan song; he won't say goodbye without a bang.
