BKFC Arrives in New Jersey for the BKFC 82 Final Press Conference
By Robert Cardillo, The Hurt Handbook
October 3, 2025, 11:15 AM ET
BKFC co-owner Conor McGregor hosts the BKFC 82 Final Press Conference at the Prudential Lounge.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship hosted their final press conference yesterday ahead of their massive BKFC 82 fight card, which takes place on Saturday at New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
The event, held at the Prudential Lounge, was open to the public, and was hosted by combat sports superstar Conor McGregor and BKFC President David Feldman, while also featuring six fighters on the card.
This is the first time BKFC has taken its show to New Jersey, which BKFC partner Conor McGregor spoke on to kick off the press conference.
“We're in the mecca right here, this New Jersey/New York region. We take great pride in being here, and we're going to put on one hell of a show.” McGregor energetically told the attendees.
BKFC President David Feldman also shared his excitement for the event, citing New Jersey’s passionate combat sports fanbase.
“It's unbelievable here.” Feldman said. “They're the baddest people in the world up here in New Jersey, and they're going to appreciate the most violent combat sport at the Prudential Center on Saturday night. The people of New Jersey are very excited for Saturday, and that makes us even more excited.”
BKFC’s “King of Violence” Mike Perry, also expressed his motivation to put on a show against his opponent Jeremy Stephens for the fans at the Prudential Center on Saturday night,
“I do want it to be fun for the fans, and he’s proven himself to the fans of the sport. I’m going to show you guys the best ‘Platinum’ that you’ve seen.” Perry said confidently.
Stephens also spoke on the matchup and why the New Jersey fans should be excited for his clash with Perry, saying, “The Newark fans are in for a real treat. They're the real winners here. This is my third sold-out show in one year; nobody is doing this. I've got one hell of an opponent. I think this fight is going to blow the roof off the Prudential Center and this event is going to do big numbers.”
Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens face off for the first time during fight week with Conor McGregor between them.
The card also features the inaugural “Queen of Violence” title fight, which is a grudge match between Christine Ferea and Jessica Borga.
The two fighters had nothing nice to say about each other with Borga saying Ferea is a “disgusting individual,” while Ferea returned the energy stating that “there's nothing nice about her,” and adding that she is “going to f*** her s*** up on Saturday night!”
The card was also supposed to feature a battle of New Jersey fighters Frankie Edgar and Jimmie Rivera, but Edgar was taken off the card days ago due to a medical issue.
BKFC President David Feldman told The Hurt Handbook that BKFC decided that “the risk outweighed the reward” upon further review when it came to Edgar’s fight, despite the former UFC champion passing all of his medical tests.
Rivera is still on the card though, as Montana-based fighter Timmy Mason steps up on short notice to fight the former UFC bantamweight.
Rivera, excited to fight in his home state, explained his reasoning for wanting to remain on the card saying, “I'm going to show them what Jersey is all about. It's unfortunate that Frankie Edgar couldn't make it, but it doesn't matter who they put in front of me. I'm going to show Timmy what New Jersey is about, and I love to fight. We're going to put on a show.”
Mason injected some humor explaining that he’s most excited to fight a cop, referring to Rivera’s status as a police officer in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
“I've been running from cops my whole life, but now I get to fight one and not get in trouble” Mason revealed with a laugh.
The card features multiple former UFC stars and David Feldman described this event as “history in the making.”
BKFC 82 takes place this Saturday and can be streamed on DAZN pay-per-view.