Eddie Alvarez Reveals Favorite 'Rocky' Movie: Made Philly ‘Start to Believe Again’

From the ground up in Philadelphia was where former UFC Champion Eddie Alvarez wrote his own Rocky story.
A native of Kensington, it’s been almost 15 years since Alvarez last fought in his hometown, the 40+ fight veteran fighting everywhere else from the U.S. to the other side of the world at ONE Championship. This Saturday, Alvarez gets the homecoming he’s been dreaming of at BKFC Knuckle Mania V from the packed Wells Fargo Center.
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Facing Off On The 'Rocky' Steps
Alvarez meets Jeremy Stephens in the main event, facing off with the UFC veteran on the iconic Rocky steps with Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Rocky Balboa’ statue overlooking them.
“I thought that was a good touch for Philadelphia,” Alvarez said of the Stephens’ staredown in front of Rocky. “That same day they were doing a big news media thing for the statue. So we actually had to sneak past some barriers, get up and get that shot... So, we stole that shot!”
Alvarez Names His Favorite Rocky Film, Its Impact On Him & Philly
The Rocky franchise, consisting of 6 films (9 if you include Creed), follows the story of Rocky Balboa - an underdog boxer from Philly who gets a million-to-one shot at the world heavyweight title, a story of resilience, hard work, and conquering the odds.
Having reached great career heights in UFC and Bellator, Alvarez says the Rocky movies inspired him like so much of Philadelphia, revealing Rocky (1976) was his personal favorite, the fictional boxer brought to life by Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone on the big screen.
“Probably say one 'cause I was most influenced by it as a kid, and also was filmed mostly in my neighborhood,” Alvarez told MMA Knockout. “It was filmed in Kensington where I grew up, so it made a lot of sense to me.”
“The neighborhood that I grew up in there was boxing gyms on like every corner. Boxing was a big part of our culture and when that movie came out, it just kind of let every kid from that lower neighborhood and Kensington to start to believe again, to believe in that underdog story."
This was an absolute BANGER 💥 Eddie Alvarez vs Chad Mendes at BKFC 41!#KM5 | Sign-up at https://t.co/FKV4378mdH 🔗 In bio pic.twitter.com/QbV7vnlfAp
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) January 21, 2025
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Alvarez continued.
“Most of the kids in that area are that underdog story, including myself. So to be able to push work yourself outta there and fight your way to success or fight your way to a better life, it's kinda what I looked up to as a young kid. The story I seen as a young kid and I was able to use it as an example in my own life.”
Alvarez, 41, won the UFC lightweight title from Rafael Dos Anjos in 2016 and remains the only Philly-native to capture UFC gold. Taking the gloves off, "The Underground King" is currently 1-1 in BKFC with a win over three-time UFC title challenger Chad Mendes and a loss to “Platinum” Mike Perry.
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