Fans show love to Philly’s Eddie Alvarez at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s KnuckleMania press conference

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is making its way to Philadelphia, headlined by former UFC champion — and Philadelphia native — Eddie Alvarez.

At KnuckleMania 5, Alvarez, from Kensington, will stand across from former UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens. The match will take place at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 25 and will be televised live on DAZN.

David Feldman, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship founder and president, hosted a press conference Tuesday at the 2300 Arena.

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Alvarez was greeted with a hero’s welcome. The same can’t be said about his opponent, Stephens.

Alvarez, 40, is the first fighter to win titles in both Bellator and the UFC, holding the lightweight championship in both. But none of that compares to headlining the Wells Fargo Center event in front of the Philly faithful, he said.

“This is the pinnacle of my career,” Alvarez said. “I’ve won world titles all over. I’ve traveled to Asia, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Canada, Russia. I went everywhere seeking the best guys in the world, and to come full circle and come to the Wells Fargo Center in front of the city that kind of made me who I am and made me fight the way I did, it’s storybook. I couldn’t ask for something better.”

Alvarez last fought in Philly at the Liacouras Center in 2010 during his stint with Bellator. Now Alvarez is 1-1 in the BKFC ring, with his last appearance in December 2023, when he lost to Mike Perry on a second-round TKO.

“Eddie has fought for us twice already and Philadelphia really took notice then,” Feldman said. “Now he could potentially be closing his career out here in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center with the largest attendance in combat sports here; it’s amazing. He fought at the Liacouras Center and sold that out. I wanted to put a little cherry on top for this one and Eddie Alvarez is that cherry on top here.”

Stephens has had better success in Bare Knuckle fighting with a 2-0 record — including a win over top-five contender Jimmie Rivera. But Philly fans did not give a warm welcome to the Iowa native.

The fans were quick to boo Stephens every time he grabbed the mic. A clearly irritated Stephens poked fun at them, saying of Alvarez, “He’s just like Philly. Great place, right? But you guys are runners-up. You’re second best and you always will be. You guys [expletive] blow it every time.”

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In the heated exchange, fans responded with, “You’re going to need security getting out of this building.” This interaction was exactly what Feldman was expecting.

“It’s just so real,” Feldman said. “Listen, there may not be the nicest people in Philly, but they will tell you how they feel. They’re so real about it. That’s what makes this awesome, because they have a bunch of authentic people that are going to be in that crowd.”

Feldman said that several Philly fighters would be joining the KnuckleMania 5 card. Among them are Miguel Cartagena, Cody Russell, Patrick Brady, and Travis Thompson.

» READ MORE: David Feldman’s rise with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship came from learning to roll with life’s punches

But the main announcement was that TikTok star Bryce Hall will make his return to Bare Knuckle fighting at KnuckleMania 5 against Kimbo Slice Jr. Hall had one bout under the BKFC banner in 2023, when he defeated Gee Perez. Slice is coming off a loss to O.J. Rose in Misfits Boxing.

Former UFC fighters Alvarez and Stephens came face-to-face during a heated exchange after the press conference.

Alvarez typically isn’t one to trash-talk, but after Stephens disrespected his city, the Philly native was shown exchanging words with Stephens before telling the crowd, “I’m going to [expletive] him up.”