Ex-UFC Champion Eddie Alvarez Suffers Broken Jaw in BKFC KnuckleMania Headliner

Ex-UFC Champion Eddie Alvarez Suffers Broken Jaw in BKFC KnuckleMania HeadlinerEddie Alvarez ended up with a broken jaw following his BKFC KnuckleMania V headliner against Jeremy Stephens on Saturday…

Ex-UFC Champion Eddie Alvarez Suffers Broken Jaw in BKFC KnuckleMania Headliner

Eddie Alvarez ended up with a broken jaw following his BKFC KnuckleMania V headliner against Jeremy Stephens on Saturday night.

‘The Underground King’ threw in the towel shortly after the conclusion of the third round, handing ‘Lil Heathen’ his third straight win inside the squared circle. The decision left many fight fans scratching their head as Alvarez didn’t appear to have any significant cuts or obvious injuries.

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However, the former UFC lightweight champion offered some insight into his decision to end the bout early on Monday, revealing that his jaw was broken early on in the fight and he simply couldn’t fight through it any longer.

“Got hit with a kill shot in the first or second,” Alvarez wrote on Instagram. “I did my best to keep a Gameface and ignore it but by the 3rd round the damage was too much. Please understand how bad I wanted this and what I sacrificed in order to Win, it wasn’t my night. Bare Knuckle is as real as it gets. Unpredictable, Fast Pace and violent …. Congrats to all the new Up and coming Philly stand outs @cody__fights @teamgarbarino @theanimalbkfc @hevweightbrady on their wins . You Men are the Future and made Philadelphia Proud , I’m soo Happy for our City and the future of our Combat Athletes .

“Whether I win or lose is not as important as Philadelphia/Pennsylvania slowly becoming the most dominate Area in the country for Combat Sports . @bareknucklefc is the fastest Growing and will be the Greatest Show on Earth .. Mark my words. Thank you Philadelphia for showing out …

Alvarez, 41, is now 1-2 under the BKFC banner and is likely staring down the barrel of another lengthy layoff after sustaining orbital fractures in his 2023 clash against ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry.

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‘Lil Heathen’ Faces off with ‘Cocaine conor’ after TKO’ing Eddie Alvarez

After going 3-0 in his BKFC run, Stephens called out Conor McGregor who promptly climbed into the ring for a viral staredown with ‘Lil Heathen.

“‘Ole cocaine Conor,” Stephens said following the event. “He’s got a long path, bro. It’s all good promotion. I love it. I loved to come in there, get right in his face, and have him doubt me. I felt like him and [David] Feldman were against me. Everyone was against me,” Stephens added.

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Video – BKFC Brawlers Taylor Starling and ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings Leave Little to the Imagination

Video - BKFC Brawlers Taylor Starling and 'Rowdy' Bec Rawlings Leave Little to the ImaginationTaylor Starling and former UFC fighter ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings put on a show before the show. Emanating from Wells…

Video - BKFC Brawlers Taylor Starling and 'Rowdy' Bec Rawlings Leave Little to the Imagination

Taylor Starling and former UFC fighter ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings put on a show before the show.

Emanating from Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will deliver its fifth annual KnuckleMania event headlined by a showdown between former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and 20-year veteran Jeremy ‘Lil Heathen’ Stephens.

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Featuring in the co-main event will be former UFC heavyweight standout ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell as he is set to challenge reigning and defending BKFC heavyweight titleholder Mick Terrill.

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Rounding out the top of the card will be a women’s bare-knuckle bout that is sure to bring the fireworks as BKFC mainstay Taylor Starling meets TUF alumnus Bec Rawlings.

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Ahead of their highly anticipated clash in The City of Brotherly Love, Starling and Rawlings went face-to-face for the final time. Needless to say, their intense staredown offered a little something for every kind of fight fan out there. Check out the video clip below courtesy of MMA Junkie:

Taylor Starling and Bec Rawlings Looking to get back into the win column at knuckleMania 5

Taylor Starling is 4-3 under the BKFC banner with wins over Charisa Sigala, Cassie Robb, Hannah Guy, and Jenny Savage. Her fight with Sigala at the inaugural KnuckleMania event in 2021 is still considered to be one of the wildest fights in promotional history.

Meanwhile, Rawlings goes into her seventh appearance in the promotion with a 3-3 record and riding a three-fight losing streak, including back-to-back losses against reigning women’s flyweight titleholder Christine Ferea.

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Check out the full KnuckleMania 5 fight card below:

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BKFC KnuckleMania 5 on DAZN Main Card (9 p.m. ET):

  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Jeremy Stephens
  • Mick Terrill vs. Ben Rothwell – BKFC heavyweight championship
  • Taylor Starling vs. Bec Rawlings
  • Patrick Brady vs. Zachary Calmus
  • Dustin Pague vs. JD Burns
  • Travis Thompson vs. Zachary Pannell
  • John Garbarino vs. Apostle Spencer
  • Pat Sullivan vs. Kaine Tomlinson, Jr.
  • Zedekiah Montanez vs. Brandon Meyer
  • Joey Dawejko vs. Steven Banks

BKFC KnuckleMania 5 on YouTube Prelim Card (8 p.m. ET):

  • Cody Russell vs. Logan Tucker
  • Phil Caracappa vs. Noah Norman
  • Itso Babulaidze vs. Bryan McDowell

Conor McGregor announces he is now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Conor McGregor announces he is now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting ChampionshipConor McGregor is now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. On Saturday, the Irish megastar revealed that…

Conor McGregor announces he is now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Conor McGregor is now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

On Saturday, the Irish megastar revealed that he would be making a “mega announcement” during the BKFC KnuckleMania IV broadcast live on pay-per-view. Speculation ran rampant that McGregor would announce a partnership between the bare-knuckle fight group and his popular brand of Irish whiskey, Proper No. 12.

Instead, it was something much more intriguing.

McGregor revealed that his company McGregor Sports & Entertainment is now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. What exactly this means for BKFC or his future with the UFC is uncertain.

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Conor McGregor takes a piece of the BKFC pie while preparing for his return to the Octagon

McGregor is currently gearing up for his long-awaited return to the Octagon on July 29 during this year’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The former two-division titleholder is set to headline UFC 303 opposite former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler.

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It will be his first time competing since suffering a devastating leg injury during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

Despite being shelved for nearly three years, McGregor has stayed in the spotlight for a variety of reasons. Almost one year ago to the day, McGregor stepped inside the BKFC squared circle at the promotion’s event in Denver, Colorado, for a viral staredown with the promotion’s top star, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry.

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The promotion had also previously announced a partnership with McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout.

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What are your thoughts on McGregor’s shocking announcement and the future of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship?

Video: Paige VanZant Has Heated Staredown With Britain Hart Ahead Of BKFC Debut

VanZantThings got a bit physical when Paige VanZant and Britain Hart had their staredown on Thursday. The pair are set to collide in the headliner of Bare Knuckle FC’s KnuckleMania event taking place Friday in Clearwater, Florida. And Hart certainly isn’t a fan of the bare-knuckle newcomer as she got right in VanZant’s face during […]

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Things got a bit physical when Paige VanZant and Britain Hart had their staredown on Thursday.

The pair are set to collide in the headliner of Bare Knuckle FC’s KnuckleMania event taking place Friday in Clearwater, Florida.

And Hart certainly isn’t a fan of the bare-knuckle newcomer as she got right in VanZant’s face during the staredown.

That led to VanZant shoving Hart’s throat before the pair started to get more physical until BKFC president David Feldman stepped in.

“This ain’t f*cking MMA, you can’t choke,” Hart said. “Get the f*cking rules right before you come into the f*cking game. How about that? Get the rules right. I will touch you first tomorrow.”

You can watch the exchange below (via MMA Fighting):

VanZant will notably be making her bare-knuckle debut on Friday.

She last competed at UFC 251 in July where she suffered a submission defeat to Amanda Ribas. It was the last fight of her UFC deal before she was released and ultimately made the move to BKFC.

Hart, meanwhile, is coming off a fourth-round knockout of Randine Elkholm at BKFC 14 in November.

Do you have VanZant winning her BKFC debut?