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Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

Jomi Escoboza and Esteban Rodriguez test skills against one another at BKFC 49 on August 25th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, Florida. The pugilistic proceedings are broadcast on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Escoboza spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News prior to the fight. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Jomi Escoboza

You normally fight at 185 pounds but are moving up to cruiserweight for this one. Do you see yourself fighting across multiple weight divisions or will you ultimately prioritize one weight category predominantly?

“I became the first 185-pound bare-knuckle boxing champion in the United States (for BYB Extreme) since it became legal six years ago. So I have that in the history books stamped out. So yeah, this fight, it was kind of like they couldn’t find me an opponent. I said give me whatever. Just, I don’t care. Just dig your name in the hat and whatever comes out, I’m ready. I’ve been training. I’ve been literally in fight camp for a year. So I’ve been waiting. I was supposed to fight last year (in) November then December 3rd.”

“Then it kept going on month after month, event after event I was supposed to fight. So I’ve just been in training camp this whole time. So this name came up, it was at 205. I said well, you know, perfect. I don’t need to cut weight and I can bulk up and fight – just become stronger – have more power in my punches.”

“I’m going to be the faster fighter, for sure. So yeah, coming up in weight for one fight doesn’t hurt. As long as I can get somebody to sign that contract to fight, because I needed a fight. It’s too long. It’s been way too long. So I was just like, get me whatever. They gave me this guy, 205. I’m like bet.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/BKFC

BKFC

You felt your last fight versus Jared Warren was competitive, albeit it being a loss for you, and Warren is just coming off of that interim light heavyweight title bid. It would seem like you’re not super far off from the light heavyweight title picture in BKFC. What are your thoughts on that?

“Yeah, for sure, man. I believe I’m at the top of the 185-pound division. I’m trying to rack up as many wins to take that belt, keep racking up as many 185 belts in bare-knuckle and be known as the unified, lineal champ – taking all the belts from all the promotions at 185 pounds – be like the first lineal champ to take over the 185 pounds of the whole entire bare-knuckle boxing.”

“So that was the original plan, when I was in BYB [was to become 185-pound champ]. I was just presented an opportunity to come into BKFC. So I just came in to try to win a belt.”

BKFC 49

What are your thoughts on the 2-0 resume in BKFC, with a pair of early finishes, and on the stylistic attributes of Esteban Rodriguez as you head into this fight against him?

“I mean he’s a tough fighter. He comes forward, very aggressive. The way I see it is in bare-knuckle boxing everybody has knockout power. Doesn’t matter if you’re a bum or anything. All it takes is six pounds of pressure to knock somebody out on the chin. So yeah, I think he’s known for being aggressive, he comes forward. He puts pressure a lot and he’s a 205er. So at 205 anybody has power. So yeah, he’s just a tough fighter. Tough fighter all around. Comes forward and aggressive from what I’ve seen, you know.”

Jomi Escoboza vs Esteban Rodriguez

You lamented your last fight being very movement-minded and jab-centric, but perhaps that strategy would behoove you in this fight here against a larger opponent (someone who debuted in BKFC as a heavyweight). Is there almost a sense of wanting to utilize that strategy from the Warren fight or do you have another methodology in mind without giving away too much of your gameplan?

“Ever since that last fight, I’ve been cranking up a lot of the pressure – just coming forward and output. So the output is going to be even more than what you’ve seen in the past, which has been a lot. I’ve always thrown more punches and out-pressure my opponents. So you’re going to see that times a hundred. You’re going to see a lot more of an aggressive Jomi. Just, the size really doesn’t matter, to be honest. At ‘185, 205, that’s basically my weight. So I spar with a lot of guys at that weight as well.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

“Yeah, it’s funny, because even before accepting this fight, I was sparring with one of my friends who had just won his debut in Boxing – a high-level Cuban boxer. He’s a 205er too. So like, I’ve been getting a lot of work in with him getting ready for his fight. It just so happens he ended up being a perfect person to help me get ready for this fight. [He] was the one that came up to the table. So like size, it doesn’t matter. All it is is just using his style and his form of fighting against him, and making him add more power to my punches.”

Jomi Escoboza continued, “So it’s going to be a lot of coming forward and angles as well. But that’s going to be for every fight, not just for this fight. Just every fight going forward you’re just going to see more coming forward, more angles, and just establishing control a lot. It’s just – I can’t fight like that last fight again. That’s just like the one fight that I look back and I’m just like, you idiot. You could have easily won that fight.”

The post Jomi Escoboza on Esteban Rodriguez Fight at BKFC 49 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Esteban Rodriguez and Jomi Escoboza throw down at BKFC 49 on August 25th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, Florida. The pugilistic proceedings are broadcast on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Rodriguez spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News prior to the fight. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Esteban Rodriguez

You debuted in BKFC as a heavyweight but are now plying your trade in the company as a cruiserweight. What does the future hold for you in terms of weight category?

“I feel now like – before I was a heavyweight, I was dominating the heavyweights. Just for the fact that those heavyweight guys, man, they’re real slow. I had that same power. So I was like, people kept talking me into, “You gotta drop weight. You gotta drop weight.” This and this and that. You’ve got to drop to 185, 205. I’m like, listen guy, I love eating donuts too much, dog. I am a fat kid at heart, like I love to eat, bro. Like I’ll smash on a whole three or four-pound burger all within one hour. I love to eat, man.”

“It’s just like the training camps, the weight cuts. I feel like dieting and being able to have to sacrifice my eating and all that stuff is what really just kind of solidifies their coffin. I love my food, man. Love my food and I’ve been eating like tuna fish, chicken, all this clean stuff. It’s been brutal, man (laughs)… Once I go through this 205 division, man, I’m going to come back up to the heavyweights to show them what a real monster looks like.”

Esteban Rodriguez continued, “If I’m able to make it happen, because weight cut’s been going really, really good lately, so, I mean, who knows? I might even drop down to the 185 class just to test to see if I could even get down there first of all though. But as far as it goes at 205, there’s no doubt about it, this is my division.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/BKFC

BKFC

I love how when you describe your pursuits and passions. You talk about wanting to do it for the people. How does it feel to uplift and inspire other people as you pursue your individual goals?

“A lot of these guys out here, man, I feel like they’re like boats in the water. They don’t know what they want to do. That’s why I wanted to dedicate myself to BKFC, because it’s true. It’s said perfectly right there – lions not sheep. Lions not sheep, man. You can’t continue to follow the other crowd or be like these other people. You’ve got to follow your own dreams. You’ve got to make a dream. Come up with a purpose and then chase it with a burning desire. Chase it like it’s your last breath, man, and just go after it.”

Esteban Rodriguez continued, “Just work for it, just take one step. Just one step is all it takes. I came from adversity where it was like I was in a dark place. I was in a dark, dark place. Like I had the barrel in my mouth and everything, man. I started thinking to myself like what the hell am I doing? There’s so much potential in this world. My son started peeking into my mind – like everything just started just unfolding to me. I put my hands and my knees down and just started praying.”

BKFC 49

“Like man I ain’t no religious person, but imma start praying to God. I don’t know what’s going on here and things started happening, man. I started getting into faith and prayer and I built my own relationship. My history, everybody frowns upon it, weapon charges and stuff like that, you know what I mean? Delivering and manufacturing marijuana, like I was kind of (around) the wrong people right way. I looked to God, tried to do things the right way. I stood up and I feel like I had to pick up the pieces.”

“Thought people were gonna be like, oh yeah, you can do this! Like no, this world is cruel, man. You have to really buckle down and really get to what you really, really want in life. Figure out what you want instead of what everybody else wants, and then just pursue it, man. Just drive. And now I get to be that living example. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what background you have, if you just put the work in and take that one step, you will always make it happen and this dream will come true.”

Esteban Rodriguez vs Jomi Escoboza

Your opponent, Escoboza, is a former BYB Extreme cruiserweight champion, and is around that double digit fight mark in bare knuckle as he presumably hungers to return to the win column here. Does this strike you as a great person to be able to showcase your newly accrued skills against?

“Yes, sir. I’ve been looking forward to somebody like this for a very long time. Usually, I just punch somebody and they just crumble. I’m like, alright finally somebody who’s gonna fight back. Finally, someone who’s gonna finally put pressure back. When pressure and pressure meet, woo-oo, that’s when you get those explosive fights right there. So there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it, we’re gonna put on the fight of the night. Yes, sir.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

“Well, he’s got a good jab. He’s got a good counter. He fights off the back, man. He’s a backward fighter, man. So he’s not going to be able to handle the pressure I’m bringing. I mean honestly, I feel like now that I’m able to really read those kind of things. Before I never could really understand that. It was just like go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Now I know what I have to do. I know how to do it with precision, and now I’m doing it with accuracy. So now this fight. You’re not just going to see a brawler going out there.”

“I’m not just gonna go out there and just start brawling and just smothering these guys. No, I’m hitting angles now. I see this man. He doesn’t necessarily hit angles. He just kind of runs away a little bit and he just waits for that counter. He’s a patient fighter and he’s never met a different fighter like me before. So if he don’t like to fight, we’re gonna be fighting. If he likes it or not, we’re gonna be fighting. I don’t care what he’s got. I don’t care anything about that championship. He ain’t fight no people like me.”

The post Esteban Rodriguez on Jomi Escoboza Bout at BKFC 49 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Dakota Highpine clashes with Bryan Duran at BKFC 49 on August 25th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, Florida. The pugilistic proceedings are broadcast on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Highpine spoke with Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before this bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Dakota Highpine

It seems like you’re acutely aware of your opponent’s skills. It also seems like this is a fight you guys have discussed having with each other for a bit now. How long have the discussions with Duran taken place about you two having a fight per your recollections?

“From my recollection, I think after my first BKFC fight. He said he needed an opponent and I (had) seen it on Instagram. I just put on like I’d fight you if we got the chance. Like I’ll be your opponent. He was like that’s what’s up. We could do that and came into the future.”

“When I got the contract and I signed it and I sent it back, he was like you got your dream, it came true. I was like it’s not every day you fight your favorite fighter. So it’s definitely a big thing. Coming from Great Falls (Montana) being such a small town and not a lot of people here to going and fighting in front of half the town maybe, like this is big.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

That’s a big statement to describe Duran as your favorite fighter. Can you expound upon why you feel that way about the 4-0 BKFC combatant?

“Well, he’s one of my favorite fighters. I would say since the beginning first time I ever seen him like his persona when he hops in the ring, he’s jacked up, he’s ready. The best people can hop in there with you and like be a gladiator just as well. So I give him all respect and nothing but… I just like his fighting style. That’s one of the things that caught me on first and I just knew. He’s a fighter, he’s a scrapper. I’m a fighter, I’m a scrapper, and everybody in Great Falls like, they know who I am. They know the name.”

BKFC 49

Duran debuted in BKFC at 145 pounds, journeyed north of that since (160-pound catchweight or lightweight). and returns to featherweight here. What are your thoughts on him cutting back down to this weight category in the context of how it could inform Duran’s performance here?

“When he went down to 145, I was like oh man that’s; because the last one I seen him fight, he was 160-165 or something like that. So it’s a pretty big drop in weight but I’m excited to see where it puts us.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

You have a background in amateur boxing and amateur MMA. Localized to the standup portions of these games, how does bare knuckle differ in terms of training and performance within the body of the fight itself?

“Yeah, so one of my friends Leo Bercier he got me to go up and talk to Joe Riggs. He was throwing on like a little Boxing match place and I was like yeah like I’ll come up and I want to fight. I was at 155 at the time and from there Joe was like you would be a good addition to MMA. Started training a little bit with them, doing a little bit of jiu-jitsu. I liked it but I’m a stand-up guy. I’ve boxed for plenty, plenty of years and that’s just where my heart is.”

“My grandpa when I was growing up, he’d watch the ESPN Classic. I told him I’m gonna be there one day. He passed away when I was 19. Now to be on the big stage, I wish he was here with me. It’d be a big thing for him because he always wanted to be a professional but he never got the chance. So I’m making both of our dreams come true at once.”

Poster via BKFC

Dakota Highpine vs Bryan Duran

In discussing how much you admire Duran, there’s another fighter on this card you admire a lot who’s actually retiring here. Can you get into the specifics on that?

“I’ve watched Bryan (Duran) from the beginning. I’ve watched Tom Shoaff from the beginning. Those are two of my favorite fighters… Well, I’d seen that too (Shoaff’s retirement news) and I don’t know. Just to be on a card with him with him being my favorite fighter, I don’t know how to approach it or just to say hi. Because he knows I’m a BKFC fighter, I told him like I’m a big fan, and hopefully one day we get on a card together. This is it, big thing. I’ve never felt like more excited. This is a big, big feeling for me.”

The post Dakota Highpine on Bryan Duran Clash at BKFC 49 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Jake Lindsey clashes with Gorjan Slaveski for the vacant welterweight strap at BKFC 49 on August 25th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, Florida. The pugilistic proceedings are broadcast on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Lindsey spoke with Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News leading into this championship collision. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Jake Lindsey

This seemed like it was on the radar when we were last talking just with the 165-pound belt being vacated by Luis Palomino. What were your thoughts when this title fight offer versus ‘Gogo’ came your way–

“Well, honestly I knew it would kind of work out this way from the get-go. Because I think they already had; I think they were having issues with getting (Luis) Palomino to fight even before ‘Gogo’. Because he recently fought for the number one contender’s slot. But at that point, I already had a contract for a fight with Connor (Tierney) for the number one contender’s slot.”

“So I put two and two together. It’s like well they’re already having issues with Palomino fighting and defending his title. So I knew probably about a year ago it would be me and ‘Gogo’ fighting, not me and Palomino.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

The last time we spoke, you thought Gorjan’s name was Gogo Slavik. Have you indulged in a certain level of additional tape study on your opponent since we last discussed him?

“Yeah, you know what I mean. He’s fought on the same cards with me. I’ve seen him fight live. I’ve watched all of his fights. We’ve been on the same podcasts and interacted a few times. I’ve watched some video on him, some BKFC video. They’re all up his ass because he’s really popular and I mean rightfully so. He has all the right qualities to be a popular fighter. But yeah, I’ve done tons of research on him and I feel great about the matchup.”

“Here’s the thing, I’m gonna do one of my little rants. Kind of off-topic but it’s on the subject. Here’s the thing about this; people every time they fight a guy they go oh you know, I see these holes in his game, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Every fighter fights about the same about eighty percent, like you have habits. If you’ve been fighting more than five, six, seven, eight, nine years you have habits and you’re going to do the same habits.”

“It’s not about seeing I would say holes in someone’s game, it’s about looking at their habitual behaviors. Because when you’re in a fight and once you get into it and things get intense, you’re going to always revert. You can have the best gameplan but if the gameplan is not something you do normally then the second you get cracked the gameplan’s out the ******* window. You’re going to revert to your normal way you fight.”

“So what you do is you find things that you do naturally that are effective against what he does naturally. For me versus Gogo, it just so happens to be there’s a lot of things I do all on my own just the way I fight that kind of counters some of the things he does. But at the same time, I’ve evaluated his strength too. You have to be real careful with him. There’s things he can do that are effective against things I do. So you kind of have to evaluate all that.”

BKFC 49

Without overlooking Slaveski here, if you get your desired outcome in this title fight, who do you think you’ll be defending this welterweight title against for the first time?

“Rico Franco, absolutely. There’s no way. If they match me against anyone else, that’s a disservice to him. If I get in there, and do what I can do, just be myself, and win the belt then yeah it absolutely has to be Rico Franco. Like there’s no way. That guy’s deserved it for years. I think hes’ on like a seven fight unbeaten streak. He fought twice more.”

“He fought on the same card I fought Connor (Tierney), he’s already fought three more times. Had four fights in the time it’s taken me to get one. So I mean that guy, it has to be him. It doesn’t make sense, I mean there’s no one else. Who else is there? Nobody. If Kaleb Harris beat him then it would have been Kaleb Harris. But he took care of Kaleb pretty handily. So it’s got to be Rico Franco.”

Poster via BKFC

Jake Lindsey vs Gorjan Slaveski

When we first met, you captured the Unified MMA super welterweight title and garnered mixed martial arts gold at 165 pounds. How much of a capstone achievement would it be to capture 165-pound gold on a world level within BKFC as we’re heading into this vacant welterweight title fight?
“I mean I would love nothing more than to go out there and win that belt, to be honest with you. Not just for how esteemed the belt is because I think BKFC is the best; clearly the best bare-knuckle combat sports organization. But also just for my own personal I guess combat sports journey, it would be something that I’ve been pushing towards for years. When you’re a fighter and you’re kind of in that spot where you’re not fighting with anybody.”

Jake Lindsey continued, “I went through a lot of years where like I was still fighting really tough guys and training kind of like I said all on my own, that fire just kept burning. This wouldn’t put the fire out at all. It would probably make it bigger but this is something I’ve been working towards, whether I’ve known it or not, a long time. So this would mean the world to me to win this belt. I’m coming, coming hard. I’m excited, I’m getting all; My heart’s starting to beat now. Ready to roll, let’s go.”

The post Jake Lindsey on Gorjan Slaveski Title Bout at BKFC 49 appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Tom Shoaff clashes with Bryce Henry in the former’s bare-knuckle retirement bout at BKFC 49 on August 25th.

The fistic fireworks emanate from Miami-Dade Fairgrounds in Miami, Florida. The pugilistic proceedings are broadcast on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Shoaff spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before he says farewell to the sport, at least for now. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Tom Shoaff

How does it feel to be embarking on your first bare-knuckle fighting foray of 2023 here?

“Yeah, it’s nice to be back. So they called me a couple of months after; I want to say they wanted to get me back in April actually and it was just too soon. I had taken too much damage from my last fight. So we pushed it back a little bit. We started talking in May about a June or July card. Then we finally got everything confirmed I want to say early July for the August card. I’m just excited to finally be back in the swing of things, man. It’s been a long layoff but that’s pretty standard and typical for me.”

“So like I said, I’m just excited to be back in the gym. Back to moving around and doing the things that I’m supposed to be doing. Ready to go out there and fight my last fight and call it a day… I don’t know, man. I guess the best way that I can describe it is I’m too old for this **** (laughs). Have decided not to renew (my) contract with the BKFC. So this will be my last bare-knuckle fight, yeah. I think you’re probably the first person I’ve told publically.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

Your opponent Bryce Henry has a spotless record across both gloved and bare-knuckle boxing at this juncture. What are your thoughts on Henry’s overall combat sports resume and some of his better stylistic attributes?

“I’m honestly not sure if I could have (laughs) been given a more difficult fight for my going away party. Everybody knows that I have difficulties with taller fighters and he’s six foot four. He’s a naturally bigger fighter. He used to fight at 165 pounds. Now he fights at 155 even though he says that’s his natural weight class. Yeah, he’s undefeated in pro boxing at 6-0 and he’s undefeated in the BKFC at 2-0. The two guys that he beat in (BKFC), one was a fairly high-level MMA fighter.”

BKFC 49

“The other one was a pretty decent prospect in boxing. He’s crisp, he’s talented, he’s athletic. I really don’t have anything bad to say about the guy. Watching his footage, everything looked clean and sharp. I think it’ll be a very difficult puzzle for me to figure out while I’m in there. But I have faith in myself, man. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Tom Shoaff continued, “Even though he is 23 and he’s, I’m sure, full of piss and vinegar. I’m 34 and like you said, I’ve been doing this for sixteen years. I’ve been doing this a long time. So I just have to go out there and play it smart, play it smooth, and take my time. I’ll find his weakness.”

Poster via BKFC

Tom Shoaff vs Bryce Henry

You’re proven in arduous fights and that dogged determination is well known. Have you seen that sort of grit and temerity out of Henry in any of his previous bouts from what you’ve seen?

“No, I can’t say I’ve seen that and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. After watching the handful of fights that I’ve watched of his, I’ve never seen him in there with anybody who truly has pushed him at a technical level we’ll say. Like people can hit him. He’s not infallible in the sense where like he doesn’t get hit. But he doesn’t get hit to the point where he’s so effective that he’s got to fight back. That he’s got an uphill battle in front of him. That may be a good thing.”

“Maybe he’s just so good at movement and defense that he just doesn’t take those shots and he’s just that slick. Or maybe he hasn’t fought anybody who has really hit him. I genuinely don’t know. But I can say that he’s looked very impressive in all of his fights. Yeah, we haven’t seen that moment where he’s been put down or where he’s been in a scary position where he’s been forced to battle back and prove that he can win.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

“I think the most nervous he’s been we’ll call it was when, I can’t remember the guy’s name that he fought, but it was his first fight in the BKFC (Brandon Shavers). But he just looked tired. The third and fourth round, he looked fatigued. He looked like he had moved a lot. The guy just like typical MMA fighter just came forward with his face first and ran into a couple of punches.”

“In his last fight, I think he got a clean jab in. I think, what was his name Brian Wagner (Billy Wagner)? I think that was his name. Put a couple jabs in his eye, couldn’t go on, and called it a day. But again, I don’t think there was any dog in Brian (Billy) either. So it’s a really tough question to answer without actually being in there with him. Because if he can be hit, he can be hurt. But if he can’t be hit, well that’s just a totally different animal.”

The post Tom Shoaff on BKFC 49 Bare Knuckle Retirement appeared first on Bare Knuckle News.

Blake LaCaze clashes with Donald Sanchez at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast airs both Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

LaCaze spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Blake LaCaze

Your opponent Sanchez seems to have a more MMA-centric background while yours is more Boxing intensive. In a simplistic sort of layman’s perspective kind of way, does this fight almost boil down to him trying to in-fight and you aiming to fight at range?

“This is going to be a clash of styles. You just spoke good on it, I do expect him to come in and work his clinch work and more of his grappling game on the inside. But he’s fighting like a true boxer within me. All I know is keep a fighter on the outside, hit and not get hit. Stay away and just keep him on the end of my punches. So the contrast of styles of him trying to get in and negate that. Get in on my; out of jab and me trying to just keep him on the end of my jab, this is going to be a great interesting fight.”

“I don’t like to speak on who wins or loses because fighting is like court, you’ll never know how that stuff is gonna turn out. This is a coin flip but I believe in myself. I’m showing up to fight. So I know what I’m capable of and I’m going to be there. We’ll go from there after August the eleventh.”

Photo credit to BKFC/ Phil Lambert

BKFC

I saw you talking about handing Donald Sanchez another Slaughterhouse fighter after Jeremy Smith had previously bested him. Have you reached out to Smith at all for any work or general insights because of his anecdotal experience versus Sanchez?

“To be honest, I haven’t. Me and Jeremy (Smith) are signed both with Slaughterhouse but we haven’t spoken. I don’t know if I’ve talked to my manager or the person that worked Jeremy’s corner that night for that fight. That’s been that but nah, I haven’t really asked for any insight because I’m a veteran. I’m a fighter, I know what I’m coming to do. I know what I’m stepping into. I don’t think y’all will be surprised by anything because I’m training for everything. Anything he’s ready to do, I’m ready to fight back, man.”

BKFC 48

Your previous opponent Doug Coltrane moved to number three at middleweight after besting you. You don’t seem that far off from the rankings hierarchy at 175 pounds. Can you give your thoughts on the broader state of the weight division presently?

“Absolutely, our middleweight division is poppin’. Dave Mundell is really representing as the champion right now. He’d come out with a shocking performance, took the belt from (Francesco) Ricchi. He came out with another shocking performance and defended his belt against (Mike) Richman. Everybody wants to put a bullseye on that man but that’s a bad man right now. But everybody wants to fight the champion obviously. You spoke on Coltrane being number three.”

“He was ranked four when we fought and I was ranked number seven. I think by no means me losing that fight on such a lucky shot should I drop down to number eighteen in the rankings from seven. But I don’t hang my head on that at all. I’ll be right back. I’m coming right back. Our division is very, very explosive. We’ve got lot of big-name people, we’ve got people coming over. 175 is exciting because it’s fast and hard hitters. You never know what to expect in our division.”

Poster courtesy of BKFC

Blake LaCaze vs Donald Sanchez

You described your mindset heading into the last one as “shooting missiles and dropping bombs”. Is that mentality even more compounded here as yourself and Sanchez both look to rebound into the win column?

“It can because that’s every fight. You can (be) dropping missiles, dropping bombs. But where I’m at right now, Blake LaCaze is coming into this, I’m pissed off. I’m mad from my last fight and I’ve got a statement to make. I love this sport and I love BKFC. I want to show why I’m here.”

“Want to show why I don’t dodge none of these names, none of these people they’ve thrown at me. I’m coming in mad, I’m angry, and I’ve got a statement to make. That don’t mean I’m coming in overthinking or I’m gonna do this or I’m gonna do that. But I’m mad and I have a statement to make. That’s basically all I can say on that.”

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Wil Santiago clashes with Jeremie Holloway at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Santiago spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Wil Santiago

Your opponent readies to make his bare-knuckle debut but has twenty-five mixed martial arts bouts previously. What are your thoughts on Holloway’s resume and better stylistic attributes?

“Well, I know he moves well. He has some decent footwork and he has some decent combinations. Like I said, I feel like he puts it out there. Like the guy has a thousand fights. (laughs) If he hasn’t been able to put it together by then, then it’d be a problem but the kid has. I’ve got to give him that respect, the kid has. So we have a great game plan, we’ve just got to be real cautious. But we also got to stay out there because he is the bigger guy and he has the bigger reach like we were talking about earlier.”

“But we have a couple tricks up our sleeves that we plan on showing. We’re just game for a good fight. I’m not sure (laughs) how comfortable or how he’s going to be in there because it’s a different experience. It’s not going to be MMA, you know what I mean? It’s a street fight, you know what I mean? So it’s a little bit different and some people are able to make good adjustments, some people are not. We’re going to find out if he’s able to make those adjustments because I know am.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

You’re 2-0 and surging as a bare-knuckle boxer while coming off of a big KnuckleMania 3 performance yet remain grounded as well as focused amid this success. Can you expound upon that confluence of forces a bit more?

“Yeah, it’s been great, to be honest with you. I tell this all the time, I grew up through this. So I feel like I’m in my element and the more I do it, the more I get comfortable at it. So it’s been fun though. I can’t complain. Again, I feel like I’m in my element. I feel like this is something that I’ve been doing my whole life. My first two fights were just a while for me getting back to it. But now that I’m back to it, it’s different and I’m getting more comfortable.”

“Now I’m going to be able to do things in there that you’re not gonna really see many people doing other than myself… I’m not saying that I’m one of those guys but I come from an area where if there was an issue, we’ll go knuckle up. Then after that, we’ll go shake hands. One go that way and vice versa and that’s where it stayed at. So that’s the era that I come from and it’s always been that way growing up. It’s just apparently with us it was jsut a lot of it because we had a rough start growing up.

BKFC 48

While you’ve been working on your boxing, Holloway ultimately has the longer reach. You’re also both experienced with active clinch fighting from MMA and Muay Thai past experiences. Can you get into the machinations of this matchup versus Jeremie Holloway?

“I feel like my coaches have done a great job in terms of studying him. Us putting a gameplan together, the guy’s good. It might be his first bare-knuckle fight but we feel as we study him, that it’s gonna be an interesting fight. But if we stayed focused and stick to our gameplan which we will, I don’t think he’s going to know what to do. It’s not talking **** because like I said, BKFC’s a different animal. You know what I’m saying? BKFC is a different animal.”

Wil Santiago continued, “We’re just gonna be ready. We’re just gonna be ready. I’m excited for this fight. This is a fight that’s been pushing me extra and I’m excited. I’m excited for it. I’m sure he’s excited as well making his BKFC debut. We’re aware of his attributes, we’re aware of his strengths, but what we plan on doing is just using those against him.

Poster courtesy of BKFC

Wil Santiago vs Jeremie Holloway

You train out of Jackson Wink MMA and main eventer/ training compatriot John Dodson voiced to you how he was ready to party with you amid the partisan Albuquerque, New Mexico crowd post-event. It seems like with other area names, like Eric Dodson for example, this is a big night for the Albuquerque fight collective on this card. Can you speak to that dynamic?

“Exactly. Yeah, that’s another thing too. Talking about that, John (Dodson) is one of our legends of New Mexico. So just the fact that he’s fighting for a title and that everybody’s gonna be out. We’re gonna be out there and be on the same card as him, it’s a blessing. It’s an honor. You don’t think we’re all gonna wanna go to put up win, lose, or draw? Everybody’s gonna go out there and fight their ******* ***** off, period. Just out of respect and out of honor for John Dodson.”

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Jeremy Sauceda throws down with Joshua Moreno at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Sauceda spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Excerpts from the chat are below.

Jeremy Sauceda

You’re preparing for your third bare-knuckle boxing bout here and have a history dating back to the BKFC tryouts. As you approach your one-year anniversary as a BKFC combatant, what are your thoughts on your arc within this sport so far?

“Yeah, it’s been great. I’ve been just trying to learn and figure out the difference between boxing and bare-knuckle you know. So it’s been quite a journey. It was great going out there the first fight and getting it done. Fighting a great opponent (Roderick Stewart), he’s a good guy. Ended up talking to him afterward on social media and stuff. Yeah, he’s a good dude.”

“The second fight, I guess people were turning down Alonzo (Martinez). They called me on a Tuesday, said “Hey would you like to fight?” We’re gonna probably do a catchweight of 180, somewhere around there. I said yeah let’s do it. So they called me Tuesday and Wednesday I was on the plane headed over there.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

Your opponent Joshua Moreno has had a few gloved boxing bouts, had multiple MMA fights, and has a 2-0 BKFC record to boot. What are your thoughts on Moreno’s resume and stylistic attributes overall?

“I think obviously he’s long. He’s gonna be pushing that. He has a good technique as opposed to some of the other fighters that fight bare knuckle he’s more wild, you know. I think he’s a little more cleaner and picks his shots a lot better. Me coming from a boxing background, I’ve done the same thing. So I think it’s gonna be a really good fight. I think people are really going to enjoy watching it… I would say just because bare-knuckle is so different, it’s hard to just stay precise and pick your shots.”

“I’ve realized that from the previous bouts. That I can’t just sit there and try to box. You’ve got to just let your instinct kind of takeover and really just go at it. Putting it in layman’s terms as much as you can, that’s pretty much it. You gotta just go in there and be ready to duke it out, you know?”

BKFC 48

You surround yourself with great minds for the sport like Christine Ferea, Leonard Garcia, and Tom Shoaff. Can you speak to the experiences of being underneath those learning trees for this surging sport?

“Oh yeah, definitely. Leonard’s (Garcia) a really good friend of mine. We’re really good friends and that’s kind of how I got into bare-knuckle is through Leonard. When he was training for the Julian Lane fight, he said hey I heard; because we were friends before that, he said I heard you’re a good boxer. I said yeah, yeah. He said ok, let’s get some rounds in. So we started training together and he said man; when the tryouts came up for Albuquerque, he said hey, you should really try out.”

“So that’s what I did. I went out there short notice and at that time, I was just lifting weights. I wasn’t doing any cardio or nothing. So I was about 220 and just yoked up (laughs). So it was a little different. I didn’t have all the stamina and everything I do now but it was good.”

Poster courtesy of BKFC

Jeremy Sauceda vs Joshua Moreno

I unearthed a photo on your Instagram of you with John Dodson as the caption shouted him out as a great fighter and person. Isn’t it funny how things turn out as he main events BKFC 48 for flyweight gold as you prepare for your respective fight?

“(laughs) Yeah, that’s true. I kind of forgot about that. I forgot about that photo now that I think about it. But yeah, that’s true. We were there at the tryouts in Albuquerque. Yeah, I was just like man, it was great meeting this guy. He’s a great guy and every time I’ve seen him since then, him and his brother (Eric Dodson) man, they’re always good to me. They’re great, they’re always supporting me and liking my posts and stuff like that too. So yeah, man, I love those guys.”

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Sydney Smith tests skills with Melanie Shah in a strawweight bout at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Smith spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Sydney Smith

You had a post on social media intimating that this fight would be a strawweight title elimination. Is this something the promotion has expressly communicated to you?

“(laughs) Let me see how I answer this. I think it’s just kind of news now because I just did an interview like thirty minutes ago with The Sports Grid and they knew about it. So I don’t know who has officially or unofficially announced it but the consensus is this is a number one contender fight. So you know that’s what I’m taking it as is that I’m fighting for my shot at the belt next. Definitely taking this very seriously, let me put it to you that way. Is that a good way to answer? (laughs)”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

I imagine you were happy to emerge victorious in your BKFC debut but it seemed like you wanted to show off more. In talking about this fight, I’ve heard you mention that Melanie Shah’s approach will lend itself to a more action-heavy fight. What is it about this fight that you think lends itself to showing a more comprehensive rundown of your skills as a bare-knuckle fighter?

“You know she just strikes me as a woman who just wants to fight. She just continues to just walk forward and throw right hands throughout the whole fight. I feel like she’s really going to engage with me and that brings out the best in me as a fighter. I really, really love when it’s a war because it’s a war. It changes something in me and I just really like that. I need that, it’s kind of like a therapy for me. So like I didn’t really feel like I got everything out of the last fight that I needed to or got enough out during that fight.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

“So I kind of needed another quick turnaround because I just needed more therapy. It wasn’t enough, I needed another session. That’s why I always kind of hope for a banger because I leave feeling satisfied. Like I’m a perfectionist. I want to leave going wow, like I did the best I could and I laid everything out there and it was a hell of a show. Just grit from start to finish. That’s what I’m known for around here, the fights that I’ve been in, and that’s just the style I like.”

“I feel like she’s gonna give it to me, she’s gonna give me that fight. So I’m here for it, man. I saw an interview, I think it was an older interview or whatever I will probably buy her a drink afterward or a chimichanga or a cheeseburger or something. Piece of pizza, whatever she wants. We’ll just sit there, chill, watch some fights, and be cool. That’s the kind of opponent I like is the chill fighters. I don’t do drama (laughs).”

BKFC 48

Some of the operative wording you’ve used about this BKFC journey involves calling it a dream. This gratitude you have seems to translate to a composure that creates a useful fluidity when fighting in bare-knuckle. Is that the case?

“Oh a hundred percent. I mean so many things happened in the last fight but I knew that this is my calling in life. I feel like fighting is kind of my mission field, right. So it was like every time something tried to go wrong, two more things would go right. Like God was always right there at every turn. So everybody’s like are you nervous? Are you mad about what happened? I was like I don’t really feel anything but just happy to be here and excited to fight. I’m just carrying that energy into this next fight.”

“That’s just kind of how I’m living now is just that I’m excited for life and to see what God’s going to do next. He kind of just orchestrated this whole number one contender fight and everything. Like I said, that was what I was praying for. So the mindset is definitely just; this is what God has called me to do. I believe that what he’s called you to do is going to happen. As long as you’re like doing what you need to do because we do play a part in it. But I’m definitely working hard and treating my body like a temple.”

Poster courtesy of BKFC

Sydney Smith vs Melanie Shah

Do you have any parting thoughts as we’re wrapping up here?

“I just want to thank all of my teammates, my sponsors, friends, family. Anybody who donates, prays for me, says an encouraging word. All of the love I’ve been getting from BKFC and the media. It’s insane but like it’s a good insane. I just want to say like I’m just super happy and grateful to be here and just be able to perform for everybody’s entertainment.”

Sydney Smith continued, “But we work really hard for this and just respect every athlete who’s going to get out there in a couple weeks and put it all on the line for you guys. We work really hard for this. I hope you guys enjoy the show, man. I know I’m going to enjoy myself so I hope you guys do.”

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Eric Dodson collides with Robert Armas at BKFC 48 on August 11th.

The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.

Dodson spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.

Eric Dodson

Robert Armas is entering the ring for his fourth BKFC fight and every fight has gone the distance. What are your thoughts on your opponent’s stylistic attributes and accomplishments in bare-knuckle boxing?

“He’s a replacement opponent. The original opponent had gotten injured so we had to find somebody else. It’s a decent enough time frame and coming off a recent fight. At least it hasn’t been that long since he’s fought last. So just watching his previous fights and just kind of the little bit of things I could find on him, he’s definitely going to push the pace. I think his first fight didn’t go his way but it’s a learning experience, so. I think he’s learned.”

“He’s absorbed punches so he’s a little bit more familiar with the rules of the squared circle. But he’s also a little bit more adapted at dealing with the kind of adversity that comes alongside with it. Like you said, he doesn’t go the distance very often (laughs). So he’s looking to bring it. So I’m looking to return fire as soon as I get hit. I’m looking to get into a real big exchange with him and we’ll just kind of see where that goes.”

“For the most part, it looks like he’s coming in hot and heavy. It looks like he’s definitely wiling to get it done early. Put a lot of commitment toward that but we’ll have an answer for it once the time comes for it.”

Photo credit to Phil Lambert/ BKFC

BKFC

You talk about your opponent’s constant forward pressure but you yourself have a 2-0 BKFC record with consecutive first-round finishes. Does that sound like his approach could almost play into you getting the trifecta of opening-round knockouts?

“Yeah, definitely. For the most part to be honest, the first-round finishes – don’t get me wrong, me and my brother had like a small bet going with it. But in terms of the first-round finishes, both on my side and my brother’s side, the bigger aspect of the game honestly should be and it is for us, is to land our punches. I know for sure if I land enough punches, my opponent is going to go down.”

“Same with my brother. He knows that if he lands enough punches, the opponent is going to go down. If the opponent is looking to push the pace or bring it toward us and they run into a handful of punches and they’re not smart about it, they’re definitely gonna run into some stuff that’s gonna put them into some trouble.”

BKFC 48

There’s a certain synchronicity to the individual journeys in BKFC with yourself and brother John Dodson. You both collected emphatic stoppages as you each debuted on BKFC 28 and now have meaningful fights at BKFC 48 as John readies to attempt to become BKFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. Can you speak to the respective journeys in bare-knuckle boxing and how interlocked they are?

“Yeah, individually it’s going good. I’m glad I was able to get back into the ring and kind of do something different. I did MMA for a little bit and just kind of fell out of it for a while. But whenever BKFC kind of got started, I followed it since the beginning. Once we had the opportunity to go to one of the tryouts, we went out there and did that. But the journey itself for this fight camp itself has been pretty good. It’s different.”

Eric Dodson continued, “Albuquerque is a fight town itself and I know a lot of fighters are here but I’m not used to getting recognized on my own. I’m pretty much John Dodson’s younger brother for the most part. So it’s different, it’s cool. I’ll be at the stores or something and then people recognize me. So I’m growing in that regard but it’s a little bit different for me. I hadn’t expected that.”

Poster courtesy of BKFC

Eric Dodson vs Robert Armas

Do you have any final, parting thoughts as we’re wrapping up here, Eric?

“Not really. I’m just really excited to come back to Albuquerque. Just the BKFC in general to keep putting on shows. It gives Albuquerque something to do. We don’t have like a big sports team here. Don’t get me wrong, we have United. So we have soccer. But in terms of like NFL teams or NBA teams or anything like that; we don’t have really major league baseball. So it’s awesome that we’re a fight town, we’re known for fighting. We’ll have the first (BKFC) flyweight champion, we had the first Ultimate Fighter.”

“So we’ve got some good names out of here. So it’s really cool that the BKFC is helping us develop our fight name in the city itself. But I’m super appreciative about it. Plus everybody in Albuquerque that comes out to watch. The only reason we’re able to do this is because people come and watch and because people like to see it. So as long as people love it, I’m gonna give it my all. It’s not something you get to do every day. So I hope they’re enjoying it as much as I am.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

“I know I love this sport. I hope they like watching it. So I can’t wait to see my brother win a title. That’ll be fantastic. It’ll be cool to see in real life on the same card. So I’m really, really, really appreciative of my opponent stepping in at a shorter of a notice fight. Just to kind of help me along because I’ll still be able to get to fight on that same card with John. So I do appreciate him for that. Don’t get me wrong, he’s probably looking to take my head off and so I’ll be there to return the favor.”

Eric Dodson continued, “But man, if it wasn’t for the opponents, I wouldn’t be able to fight. So I appreciate the opponents, the fans, the training partners. People like you, definitely. Giving us interviews, giving us spotlight. But also helping us encourage younger kids to kind of do the same thing and keep the sport itself growing but also alive.”

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