The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), part-owned by Conor McGregor, looks set to host its biggest event to date in a few weeks’ time, and perhaps the biggest to grace Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
Bare-knuckle fighting continues to gain further prominence, largely down to the growth of the BKFC. The organization hosts KnuckleMania as its flagship event each year, with the fifth edition set to go down from “The City of Brotherly Love” on Jan. 25.
In the main event, former UFC fighters Eddie Alvarez and Jeremy Stephens will do battle. There will also be championship gold on the line beforehand, with veteran MMA heavyweight Ben Rothwell throwing down with Mick Terrill.
Keeping a close eye on proceedings will be McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion whose part-ownership of BKFC was announced by president David Feldman at KnuckleMania 4 last year.
“The Notorious” has been doing plenty of promotional work for the organization since, and the latest saw him react on social media to the release of additional tickets for this month’s major card.
And during it, the Irishman made a strong claim about ticket sales for KnuckleMania 5, hinting that BKFC is in line to break the Wells Fargo Center arena record, which the UFC has held since 2011.
Biggest gate in the arena’s history? Oh yes! See you all there! BARE KNUCKLE ACTION LIVE FROM WELLS FARGO CENTER, PHILADELPHIA!
#PhiladelphiaInaugralBKFCShow https://t.co/COnKOkQgYI
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 7, 2025
“Biggest gate in the arena’s history? Oh yes! See you all there!” McGregor wrote. “BARE KNUCKLE ACTION LIVE FROM WELLS FARGO CENTER, PHILADELPHIA! #PhiladelphiaInaugralBKFCShow“
The arena record was captured at UFC 133, where Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz collided in the main event. The card also featured the likes of Vitor Belfort, Rory MacDonald, Alexander Gustafsson and Chad Mendes.
That event generated a gate of $1.5 million, a figure the BKFC looks poised to surpass if McGregor’s words are to be believed.