Eddie Alvarez is returning to combat in entrance of his hometown crowd.

The previous UFC and Bellator champion has booked his return to the ring to tackle fellow veteran Jeremy Stephens at BKFC KnuckleMania 5 on Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Heart in Philadelphia. The information was introduced by the promotion Tuesday.

Alvarez was final seen in motion in December 2023 when he misplaced to Mike Perry by second-round TKO in the primary occasion of BKFC 56. It was his second bareknuckle boxing match. Alvarez had fought and defeated Chad Mendes in April earlier that yr.

Stephens just lately competed within the BKFC ring. He defeated Bobby Taylor by unanimous resolution at BKFC 65 in September. Previous to that, Stephens had stopped former UFC contender Jimmie Rivera in December 2023, a outcome that marked Stephens’ bareknuckle boxing debut.