Yampier Ramirez looks to maintain his unbeaten BKB record heading into Miami on August 29. The BKB featherweight titleholder battles Triston Harrison in a super featherweight bout.
With his prior fight seeing him cement himself as the BKB featherweight champion at BKB 52, when discussing his return to the Trigon and in a higher weight category as well, Ramirez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“I’m hella excited to be back. Mainly because I’m back in town. my last fight was by New York, fighting back in town, Miami. Really excited to show out, put a great show like always, and feel the love of my crowd, of my people.”
BKB 58
With Ramirez’s cultural heritage, there being such a big Cuban presence out in Miami, when asked if he gets that extra emboldenment fighting in front of that crowd, Ramirez stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Exactly. We feel it. It’s a crowd and fighter moment. We feel the energy. We feel great. We’re in town. We like it. It’s a great feeling to have a Cuban crowd out there supporting you. That’s just a Cuban crowd. Any type of crowd that really shows love to you, the fighter really appreciates that.”
Growing up in Cuba was difficult, but ultimately made Ramirez who he is, and when further delving into how his Cuban roots molded him, Ramirez explained
“Exactly. Because over there, everybody, the struggle I have been through and I’m pretty sure most of the people that’s going to be there going to be happy to see me with my hand raised doing a great job. at the end of the day, I fight for that. I fight for actually myself and my family know, but I fight to make my people proud. to make them believe that we can do it no matter where we came from, no matter what the situation was when we were growing up or however it would have been. If it was hard, then just make the best out of it. outgrow yourself and be the best version of yourself that you can be.”
BKB Miami
Ramirez has the distinction of becoming BKB’s youngest champion ever, and when asked for his big takeaways from his historic victory against Ash Williams in March, Ramirez said
“Hey shout out to Ash Williams. Tough opponent. that victory, bro. s**t, It means a lot, bro. It means a lot cuz like you said, young champion. But it honestly like; it just motivates me even more to keep on going. Like it’s; for me, I see it just as a beginning of something great. It feels amazing. It’s the best feeling ever holding that belt, giving that belt to my mom. It’s the best thing ever. But it’s just the beginning, bro. like I’m young. I’m still going out there. I still got to show the world what I’m made of and what I’m capable of doing.”
With history-making accomplishments already, when asked what else he wants for his legacy in this world, Ramirez stated
“I want to be the greatest. I want to be out there. I want to show the world what I’m capable of doing. Putting my flag out there. an exact goal, I don’t have. I’m sure I should just go with the flow to whatever life takes me too. But I know I’mma put my heart and dedication to become the best. That’s what I know.”
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing
Since he’s fighting at super featherweight here, when asked if the move up was tied to circumstance or perhaps more for testing the waters in another division, Yampier Ramirez suggested
“Testing the waters. it’s the first time I’mma do 130. I have never done 130 in my life. Not even amateur. I’m just testing to see how it goes and eventually be the champion at 130. Who knows if that comes through? We should focus. I go, like I said, man, I go with the flow. I train the heart for whatever situation life puts me in.”
Yampier Ramirez
Another high-level Cuban combatant in Alberto Blas defends his super featherweight crown against Brandon Birr at BKB 58, and when touching upon his thoughts on that 130 pound title clash, Ramirez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“That fight is going to be really good. I got the Cuban blood. I will always go for the Cuban. I wouldn’t like to fight a Cuban, but it’s a sport. Whatever life want to put me on, but that fight, that fight is going to be really great. I’m excited for that fight. I’m excited for that fight cuz both of them, they’re going to go out there. They’re not going to go and play games. Both of them fighters are really good. that fight, I’m hella excited for.”
With Blas mentioning this may be his last fight in the division and Birr being someone Ramirez has previously beaten, when mentioning how it seems like he could also vault to big super featherweight options, Ramirez stated
“brother, May The best man win. I want nothing but the best from both. It’s impossible for both of them to win, but both of them to come out of it healthy and whatever. whoever wins wins, brother. I’m not picking and choosing. Of course, I would have wanted my Cuban to win, but like I told you earlier, it’s a tough fight. That fight is going to be hella great. And one step at a time, my mindset is first here in this fight. Let me feel myself at 130, see how it goes. Potentially in the future, if I could do the title fight for 130, more than welcome. But I go a step at a time. I’mma first focus on this fight, try to do the best I could. and from there we take it.”
Bare Knuckle Boxing
With his opponent Triston Harrison, someone who has quite a bit of experience in a few different combat sports, including Muay Thai and kickboxing as well as gloved boxing and MMA experience on their ledger. When asked for his thoughts on what Harrison brings to the table here as an opponent coming up in this Florida fight, Ramirez noted
“He’s going to be a great opponent like every other opponent I have fought. He’s going to come out there to win. he has a great background. I come from MMA. So the background that he has is pretty similar to the pace of the type of fighting we have in bare knuckle. So he’s not going to be very familiar just because of the fact that he’s not going to have gloves on. But he’s going to be familiar. He’s not going to be like in new waters. So I’m excited for that. I’m excited to see what he brings to the table with a great show for my people out there. nothing [but] give out the best.”
Touching upon the burgeoning bare knuckle fanbase that appreciates the immediacy and no-nonsense attitude the visceral sport brings to the fore, Yampier Ramirez said
“Exactly [laughs]. It’s just the fans want to see a knockout and want to see blood and they want to see a great fight, Bare knuckle. Don’t get me wrong, I love MMA, but MMA, the reason I left MMA was just cuz of the simple fact that whenever there’s a good striker, they want to straight wrestle you. They’re not gonna stand there and fight and take the beating. They’re gonna take you to the ground and do this and that. I don’t like that. You feel me? like let’s fight. Let’s beat each other up. That’s what we’re here for. We’re not here to hug around or nothing. We’re here to beat each other up. That’s it.”
Ramirez and the art of combative hardware
Being that he is BKB’s youngest champion with the Police Gazette diamond belt’s broader history, which has a century-plus rich lineage of deep history behind it. Responding to those contextual pieces, Ramirez stated
“that for me is an art piece, brother. every medal has it’s special little thing. the belt is; that’s an art piece right there. that stays at my mom’s house, at a pretty nice little wall with the belts. that for me is just a collection. it’s an art piece, bro. That’s really nice. It’s really nice that you ask me that cuz I really look at the trophies and the medals. Like I really appreciate them. Especially the detail that they put into it, the extra mile that BKB goes and they put details in them, bro, it’s amazing.”
