In what was one of the most-attended combat sports events in Philadelphia history, Jeremy Stephens sent fans home disappointed.
In the BKFC KnuckleMania 5 main event, Stephens (3-0) battered home city son Eddie Alvarez (1-2) before a corner stoppage came between Round 3 and 4. The event took place Saturday at Wells Fargo Center with an announced attendance of 17,762.
The fight was relatively competitive for the first two rounds, but Stephens really started to pull away as Round 3 progressed. Alvarez was knocked down twice over the course of the three minutes. He handled the first knockdown well, and gave the crowd a thumbs up as he got to his feet.
The second knockdown, however, painted a grim picture. Alvarez was notably hurt by the blow and seemed to have an internal debate with himself as to whether or not he wanted to continue. Though he made referee Dan Miragliotta’s count, the round ended and he went back to his corner.
After he spoke with his head coach Mark Henry, the corner made the decision to end the fight.
Stephens then went into full villain mode as he taunted the fans flapping his wings, a jeering nod to the Philadelphia Eagles. During his post-fight promo, Stephens was asked who he wanted next and in stepped BKFC co-owner Conor McGregor, who dropped his signature insult of “Who the fook is this guy?”
McGregor repeatedly said he’d fight Stephens and just needed a date. The two went forehead-to-forehead before they exchanged a powerful dap-up.
Conor McGregor got into the ring with Jeremy Stephens at #KM5 and told David Feldman to “make the date” for a BKFC fight. 😳
🎥 @bareknucklefc pic.twitter.com/OvFNCJq6SX
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 26, 2025
Up-to-the-minute BKFC KnuckleMania 5 results include:
- Jeremy Stephens def. Eddie Alvarez via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 3, 3:00
- Ben Rothwell def. Mick Terill via knockout – Round 1, 0:36 – to win heavyweight title
- Bec Rawlings def. Taylor Starling unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)
- Pat Brady def. Zach Calmus via TKO – Round 1, 0:53
- John Garbarino def. Apostle Spencer via knockout – Round 1, 1:59
- Kaine Tomlinson Jr. def. Patrick Sullivan via knockout – Round 1, 0:37
- Steve Banks def. Joey Dawejko via TKO – Round 3, 1:54
- Brandon Meyer def. Zedekiah Montanez via knockout – Round 2, 0:39
- Travis Thompson def. Zachary Pannell via knockout – Round 2, 0:41
- Phil Caracappa def. Noah Norman via disqualification – Round 4, 0:40
- Cody Russell def. Logan Tucker via knockout – Round 3, 0:49
- Itso Babulaidze def. Bryan McDowell via unanimous decision (48-42, 47-43, 48-42)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC: KnuckleMania 5.
