It seems that not only did Eddie Alvarez suffer a devastating loss on Saturday at BKFC: KnuckleMania 5, but he incurred a serious injury that will keep him sidelined for a while.
Eddie Alvarez will go down as one of the greatest lightweight fighters in mixed martial arts history. First, he helped to put Bellator on the map as one of their first 155-pound champions. Then he took his talents to the UFC in 2014. And despite a debut loss, he would go on to become the first man to win gold in Bellator and the UFC three fights later.
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Then in 2019, he attempted to win gold in a third major company when he received an offer from ONE Championship that he could not refuse. However, he went 1-2-1 in his stint for the Singapore-based promotion and has since transitioned to bare-knuckle boxing for BKFC.
On Saturday, he headlined a BKFC event for the second time when he faced fellow UFC vet Jeremy Stephens in the main event of KnuckleMania 5. Unfortunately, the 41-year-old took a beating from Stephens, and after suffering two knockdowns his corner threw in the towel between rounds 3 and 4. Well, it seems the former UFC champ suffered a nasty injury in the bout as well.
- Eddie Alvarez record (MMA): 30-8-1 (16 knockouts, 8 submissions)
Eddie Alvarez reveals broken jaw from KnuckleMania 5 loss
“Got hit with a kill shot in the first or second,” Alvarez wrote in a post on Instagram that included a video (above) of his broken jaw. “I did my best to keep a Gameface and ignore it. By the 3rd round, the damage was too much. Please understand how badly I wanted this and what I sacrificed to win. It wasn’t my night. Bare Knuckle is as real as it gets. Unpredictable, fast-paced, and violent.
“I’m so happy for [Philadelphia] 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. BKFC is the fastest growing and will be the Greatest Show on Earth.”
BKFC: KnuckleMania V took place inside Philly’s Wells Fargo Center. The home of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers. The card also featured several native sons on the card. A broken jaw can take anywhere between 6 and 12 weeks to heal. And it could include a month and a half liquid diet.
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