Max Headroom 
Eddie Alvarez and Jeremy Stephens are about to turn the “City of Brotherly Love” into the “City of No Gloves.”
(I’m so sorry.)
Philadelphia hosts the BFKC ring for the first time when Wells Fargo Arena hosts the promotion’s KnuckleMania 5 event, which airs live on DAZN at 8 p.m. ET. Alvarez has waited years to fight in his hometown again, and he’s been given a game opponent in fellow former MMA standout Jeremy Stephens. “The Underground King” has the home crowd behind him, but Stephens is known for his ferocious knockout power and he looks to go 3-0 under the BKFC banner.
MMA Fighting’s bare-knuckle boys Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew got together to predict the top 3 fights on the card, which also includes heavyweight champion Mick Terrill defending against Ben Rothwell, and flyweight stars Taylor Starling and Bec Rawlings squaring off.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Jeremy Stephens
Martin: This just feels like a classic BKFC fight with excitement written all over it. Eddie Alvarez rarely engages in a boring fight and never forget Jeremy Stephens is the real hardest-hitting fighter in the sport. These two are going to get crazy, probably in a hurry, and there’s a chance this turns into a five-round brawl or perhaps doesn’t make it past the first minute of the opening round.
That said, Alvarez is fighting at home in Philadelphia for the first time in nearly 15 years, and with limited time left in his career, it’s tough to imagine him losing in front of this crowd. Alvarez has the size, power, and durability to throw hands with just about anybody, and it’s likely he puts Stephens away following a bloody battle.
Pick: Alvarez via KO, Round 4
Meshew: One of my favorite things about BKFC is how little I have to think about it. BKFC is that guy you know who whenever he’s in the group, he’s a great time, but you never hang out with individually. We all love that guy, he’s the life of the party, and a key player to good times. But we don’t want to dive deep into his psyche.
That’s BKFC for me. I don’t want to think too hard about bare-knuckle fights between old dogs, I just want the vibes. And the vibes on Saturday in Philly are undoubtedly going to be for the city’s favorite son, “The Underground King,” Eddie Alvarez. Eddie by classic Eddie knife-fight.
Pick: Alvarez via TKO, Round 3
Lee: Put these two in an MMA fight, it’s Alvarez all the way. Bare-knuckle rules, though? Give me Stephens over pretty much anybody.
Stephens was born for this. While he wasn’t awful at mixing the martial arts, my assumption has always been that he only did it because the pay was good, he could also kick people in the head, and he could also punch people on the ground. Bare-knuckle boxing might only satisfy one of those itches at the moment, but it’s also the purest form of punching people really hard, and Stephens is all about that.
Alvarez might get ahead on the cards early with a more tactical approach, but when it comes down to it, this one is going to come down to damage and Alvarez can’t outlast Stephens in that department. Look for Stephens to have a breakthrough third round, further wear Alvarez down in the fourth, and then finish in the final frame.
Pick: Stephens via TKO, Round 5
Mick Terrill vs. Ben Rothwell
Lee: We live in a beautiful world where 40-plus heavyweights Mick Terrill and Ben Rothwell have a prominent place on a major fight card. BKFC, you are giving life.
The champ has a mountain to climb in the hulking and unorthodox Rothwell. Like Stephens, Rothwell has found a home for himself in bare-knuckle, though he doesn’t have the same reputation for one-punch knockouts. Rather, he uses his length well, he has good timing, and he’s got decent cardio for man his size, especially when you’re talking two-minute rounds.
But let’s give Terrill his respect. He’s been grinding away at this bare-knuckle thing since 2016 and has looked like a deserving champion in his two title fights thus far. He has the edge in movement, which will make all the difference as he frustrates Rothwell while picking him apart early, waiting patiently to unleash the heavy artillery. And when he does, Mount Rothwell is going down.
Pick: Terrill via knockout, Round 2
Martin: Rothwell has been champing at the bit for this fight since he arrived in BKFC and now he’s finally getting it. Making the move to bare-knuckle has been nothing but beneficial for the 43-year-old heavyweight because he’s no longer putting his body through hell for an MMA training camp and the results have shown. Rothwell is 3-0 in BKFC with three stoppages, but he hasn’t faced anyone with Terrill’s experience yet.
Terrill is a true veteran of the bare-knuckle game with 11 fights on his résumé, but he somehow remains one of the most unassuming champions on the roster. He’s deceptively fast, and hits like a truck, plus he’s shown amazing endurance for a heavyweight. But Rothwell still has more big fight experience and he’s been clamoring for this opportunity for so long it’s tough to see him letting this title slip by him. Nothing is going to come easy, but Rothwell has no problem taking a punch to give back two of his own.
Pick: Rothwell via KO, Round 2
Meshew: Again, I’m here for the vibes, and few men in combat sports bring better vibes than Big Ben. The man is not only the King of Kenosha, he’s the king of our hearts. Rothwell has extreme teddy bear energy, even when he’s cackling maniacally like Darth Vader, and while Terrill is the more accomplished BKFC fighter, he’s still just a man. What sort of man could fist fight a bear and win? Khabib retired, so no one is the answer.
Rothwell via lummoxing.
Pick: Rothwell via KO, Round 2
Taylor Starling vs. Bec Rawlings
Meshew: I know Bec Rawlings is popular but, uh, is she actually good? She underachieved in MMA and then coming over to BKFC it seemed like this should be a perfect fit, except after her strong start she’s lost three in a row. Sure, it’s to good opponents but you know what we used to call people who lost three in a row growing up? Losers.
That being said, Taylor Starling isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either. Though she has won recently at least, she’s also been run over by the same women who stomped Rawlings. To me that signifies this is a coin flip contest, so I decided the violence gods could choose: I flipped a coin and Starling came up heads.
Pick: Starling via unanimous decision
Martin: It feels like a lifetime ago that Rawlings was touted as the “Queen of Bare-Knuckle” because she was arguably BKFC’s first real star after she signed there following a career spent primarily in the UFC. Rawlings amassed a solid following, but then a dispute with the promotion led to her exit and she effectively faded into obscurity again while the women’s division flourished with fighters like Christine Ferea and Britain Hart leading the way.
But anytime she’s set foot in the BKFC ring, Rawlings loves to put on a show. Starling is more than capable of doing the same, but many of her biggest fights have been marked by the immense amount of damage she absorbs. Starling is tougher than a $2 steak so she can keep this close but Rawlings has traditionally shown to be the better bare-knuckle boxer. That should make the difference in this one.
Pick: Rawlings via unanimous decision
Lee: “Rowdy,” it’s time to end this slump.
As Damon points out, Starling tends to get pierced up something fierce in her fights and a scrap with Rawlings isn’t likely to buck that trend. Rawlings doesn’t have the power of Ferea, but she loves closing the distance and making fights dirty, which hasn’t always worked out great for Starling. “Killa Bee” is at her best when she can work her jab to set up harder shots, a strategy that Rawlings won’t give her room to implement.
Rawlings should be on the offensive from minute one, resulting in a fun back-and-forth contest, with Starling eventually having to be saved by a doctor in the third.
Pick: Rawlings via cut stoppage, Round 3
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