Eddie Alvarez Says Team 2-0 vs. Jeremy Stephens: ‘We Know What Needs to Be Done'

"He lets me know what's available to me," Eddie Alvarez on having Frankie Edgar as teammate before Jeremy Stephens fight.

Christopher De Santiago | Jan 6, 2025

Underground Kings - @ealvarezugk - Instagram

Eddie Alvarez's team seems to know what makes Jeremy Stephens tick, at least in the UFC Octagon.

Fighting out of Philadelphia, the former UFC Lightweight Champion is gunning for Stephens under the bareknuckle boxing ruleset in BKFC. Stephens, also a former UFC fighter, fought for the company 34 times, so he was bound to hit Alvarez's team at one point - twice, actually.

(Exclusive) Eddie Alvarez Talks Heated Faceoff with Jeremy Stephens, Non-Champion Dig

Alvarez: "We're 2-0 Against [Stephens]"

Stephens fought a murderer's row at featherweight and lightweight that included former UFC Champion Frankie Edgar and Zabit Magomedsharipov, one of the biggest what-if's in UFC history. The talented striker retired at 31, not long after a decision win over Stephens in 2019.

Eddie Alvarez Says Team 2-0 vs. Jeremy Stephens: ‘We Know What Needs to Be Done'

Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Jeremy Stephens / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

When Stephens battled Edgar, it was on one of the world's most renowned stages in Madison Square Garden at UFC 205, the UFC's first event in New York back in 2016. Stephens did score a knockdown but Edgar controlled the fight for the most part, winning a decision. Later that night, Alvarez lost his lightweight title to Conor McGregor in the main event.

On Jan. 25, Stephens and Alvarez collide at BKFC Knuckle Mania 5. Alvarez may have an edge over Stephens already, coming from the same camp that beat "Lil Heathen" Stephens twice.

Eddie Alvarez Names UFC Vet He Could Face Next in BKFC after Jeremy Stephens

"Me and Frankie have been teammates for the last 20 years," Alvarez told MMA Knockout. "I think my team fought Jeremy twice, we're 2-0 against him. I think Frankie fought him and Zabit fought him as well. I think they were successful both nights out. Mark Henry, my coach, knows a ton about him."

Former UFC Champion Frankie Edgar. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Alvarez On Advice From Edgar Before Fight

Alvarez has a similar fighting style to Edgar as well as spirit - never-quit mentalities have been on display throughout the former champions' careers. Stephens (29-21) is a hard man to put away, facing the best in the world for years yet suffering only threes losses by KO and scoring 18 of his own in a 51-fight career.

"Frankie's beat him with Frankie's style," Alvarez continued. "Frankie has a great style for against someone like Jeremy. So Frankie, of course, like as a teammate, he lets me know like what's available to me and what advantages I have, and then that's all we know."

"We know what our team can do, our team of coaches, and we're familiar with the style, so we know what needs to be done."

Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje / Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Eddie Alvarez returns after more than a year away, off a TKO loss to Mike Perry at BKFC 56 in Dec. 2023. Alvarez picked up a decision win over former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes in his bareknuckle boxing debut earlier that year.

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley Outlines Plan to Reclaim Title

Alvarez, 40, went 4-3 in UFC, 1-2 in ONE Championship and 9-1 in Bellator.

With this fight taking place at 165lbs, the former champ doesn't believe Stephens will last all five rounds - not at this weight. Stephens fought at 145lbs for a large chunk of his career while Alvarez was a division above at 155lbs, though "The Underground King" says 165lbs would have been his "premier" weight class.