Former rivals have found common ground in the BKFC ring.

After last weekend’s historic Knucklemania V event in Philadelphia, Conor McGregor has praised the career of hometown fighter Eddie Alvarez who was defeated by fellow UFC alum Jeremy Stephens in a keenly-anticipated main event that marked the promotion’s biggest show to date.

Afterwards, McGregor — co-owner of the bare-knuckle fight league since last year — entered the ring where he participated in a staredown with Stephens (as well as hinted at a future fight with him) but also later reserved praise for Alvarez, who revealed in the aftermath that he sustained a broken jaw in the bout.

“Got hit with a kill shot in the first or second. I did my best to keep a gameface and ignore it. By the 3rd round the damage was too much,” Alvarez wrote in a post to social media, alongside an x-ray showing damage to his jawline.

“Please understand how bad I wanted this and what I sacrificed in order to Win, it wasn’t my night. Bare Knuckle is as real as it gets. Unpredictable, Fast Pace and violent. Congrats to all the new Up and coming Philly stand outs.

“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 .. Mark my words. Thank you Philadelphia for showing out.”

McGregor would later repost the message on his own socials, adding the phrase: “Fighting Legend.” He later wrote: “It’s not a game. It’s a war and the war goes on.”

In a separate interview following the event, McGregor said: “Phenomenal, all the way through he’s been great. You know, he riled up the crowd, came in, got Eddie emotional, it’s worked in the past… Eddie is a true warrior, as tough as it comes. A seasoned veteran. An accomplished fighter, and Jeremy whacked him out of there.

“So that was amazing, very good. Every fight was off the charts, no surprise. Bare Knuckle FC is here to say, 100 percent. Bare Knuckle FC, undeniable.”