Knucklemania V is hoping to pack a punch at the Wells Fargo Center.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will take the center stage in South Philly on Jan. 25 with a full lineup of fighters, headlined by Kensington native and North Catholic High School graduate Eddie Alvarez.
Fighters joined a news conference at South Philly’s 2300 Arena on Dec. 3 to promote next month’s big event. The promo featured BKFC founder and President David Feldman who brought Alvarez back to compete in his hometown.
Alvarez, a former UFC lightweight world champion, will face Des Moines, Iowa native Jeremy Stephens, a veteran with over 30 UFC fights to his name, for the BKFC title at the Wells Fargo Center. Alvarez, now 40, defeated Chad Mendes in his BKFC debut in April 2023 and hopes to add another layer to his incredible fighting career.
“I want to thank David Feldman,” Alvarez said. “If it wasn’t for him and BKFC, I wouldn’t be fighting in Philadelphia again. To be back here, in the city where I started with no gloves, to fight for these guys, I just want to thank all of my supporters.”
His opponent played the villain role to the crowd that was supporting its hometown hero at the 2300 Arena.
“Philadelphia is the place of runner-ups and always comes in second place,” Stephens said.
Leading up to the main fight, social media personality Bryce Hall will be fighting Kimbo Slice Jr., also known as Kevin Ferguson Jr., the son of MMA legend Kimbo Slice. Bryce Hall made his bare-knuckle boxing debut on Aug. 11, 2023, under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on BKFC 48 against professional fighter Gee Perez. Hall defeated Perez via technical knockout at the end of the second round.
Fans will be treated to a women’s bout, with Bare Knuckle world champ Bec Rawlings, from Australia, facing women’s flyweight contender Taylor “Killa B” Starling.
Other fighters scheduled to compete at Knucklemania V are Travis “The Animal” Thompson, Pat “The Brick” Brady, former International Boxing Organization champion Miguel Cartagena, gloved boxing/MMA standout Cody Russell and former professional hockey enforcer “The Irishman” Pat Sullivan.
“A city known for its rich boxing heritage and sheer grit is a perfect backdrop for an inaugural event right here in Philadelphia. I’m crazy enough to make this happen, and it happened,” Feldman said. “Today truly marks a significant day in Pennsylvania’s combat sports history, and especially the great city of Philadelphia. It gives me immense satisfaction to celebrate my dream and introduce a new era in Philadelphia combat sports, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.”
Tickets are on sale at https://www.bkfc.com/events. The fight will be streaming live on the BKFC app, BKFC YouTube page and DAZN.
