Kicking off this UFC Paris edition of TTP is our interview with Dana White’s Contender Series welterweight, Zevan Hunt. Hunt discusses getting the call to fight on Contender Series and the emotions he felt when it came. Plus, he’s sharing the origin story of one of the most unique nicknames in the history of the show – “Cheese” – and discussing how it went from a family nickname to being used in the cage. All of that, plus we’ll be breaking down his fight on week six. He fights tough, Ecuadorian, knockout-artist, Mayton Perea for a shot at a UFC contract.

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC Paris (14:58)

After an absolutely insane UFC Shanghai, the UFC will stay on the road for another banger of a card. UFC Paris takes place in France and is headlined by the country’s newest signee. Salahdine Parnasse steps right into the main event fire when he welcomes to Dan Hooker to the City of Light. Plus, in the co-main event, a pair of French lightweights do battle for a chance to move up the rankings. Axel Sola and Fares Ziam both look to take that next step on home soil. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Martin Kozak Interview (20:56)

Closing out this UFC Paris edition of TTP is our interview with Dana White Contender Series middleweight, Martin Kozak. The Slovakian prospect discusses bringing his style to the Contender Series and making a statement for his country. Plus, we get the origin of the nickname CEO and a breakdown of his fight on week five.

The post TTP Ep. 547: Zevan Hunt, Martin Kozak and UFC Paris appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Thank you for the question. He loves Cubans. It’s part of him but it’s either he eats or I eat. He prefers his kids to eat and little Peter [his small dog]. He respects him because he’s a legend. Gamboa is a legend. He grew up watching him and admires him. The respect is lost when he gets inside the Trigon and he’s going after glory.”

Yesner Talavera feels “he’s been the B-side his entire life” but “he’s going to take advantage of it”

The way Talavera discusses this bout in such a passionate way makes it seem like it is the culmination of his whole career journeyleading up to this point. The fellow bare knuckle debutant has been steadfastly working voer the last few months with particularly intensive work put in because of the respect he has for Gamboa heading into BKB 58.

While he reflects on his path through cobmative sports and the momentum of a life time of work coming to a head at the James L. Knight Center on Saturday night, Talavera stated

“Special question. He said that he’s been the B-side his entire life and he asked God for this opportunity. He’s very thankful for BKB for giving him this opportunity to shine and he’s not going to miss out. He’s going to take advantage of it.”

The post Yesner Talavera Says Yuriorkis “Gamboa Is A Legend” but “Respect Is Lost” at BKB 58 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Trujillo will defend his BKB Police Gazette diamond belt against former BKB and BKFC titleholder Mick Terrill at BKB 58 on August 29 in Miami. Fellow BKB 58 fighter and owner of the fastest knockout in combat sports history, Uly Diaz, acted as the interpreter for the interview on Bare Knuckle Bowker that he sat down for amid fight week.

With a last-minute opponent switch from prior opponent Mark O’Neill, who had visa issues and saw Terrill get announced for the bout officially on Wednesday, Trujillo said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

“He’s doing great. He’s ready and can’t wait for Saturday. He did a great camp. He’s more than ready.”

BKB 58

When touching on if this Terrill fight always seemed inevitable considering the pedigree that both of these fighters have, Trujillo stated

“Since Mick Terrill signed with BKB, he called BKB and told them that he wanted to fight Mick Terrill because he only wants to do big fights. Mick Terrill is a game guy. Leading up to fight, three fights fell through. He said I don’t know what they offered Mick Terrill or what but he took the fight and on short notice. I’ve been getting ready for a new opponent that’s standing in front of me. Saturday happens to be Mick Terrill. So I’m excited for that fight.”

There is a Cuban presence on the card with Yuriorkis Gamboa, Yampier Ramirez, and Alberto Blas, to name a few. But there’s also a huge Cuban diaspora in Miami that will be raucous at the James L. Knight Center. When touching uponthat partisan support piece here, Trujillo explained

“It means a lot to him, fighting here in Miami. We’re all land people here, where he started his career. Where everybody knows him, where everybody’s behind him. Miami is full of Cubans. It’s amazing to be fighting on this Cuban card. He feels a lot of people have his back in here this city. It’s a great fight to be fighting here in his city and especially on this card.”

Gustavo Trujillo

Trujillo also has a big gloved boxing pedigree, and the BKB CEO has indicated interest in potential cross-promotional efforts with Matchroom and Zuffa Boxing. When asked if that potential tendril intrigues him down the line if something were to pop up, Trujillo said

“He’s ranked in WBC. He’s ranked in WBO. He has a career also in glove boxing. So, if this opportunity comes, it’d be great. He’s ready for any opportunity that comes way… Anybody in the top ten of WBO. Right now he just has this fight in front of him. After he wins this fight, he definitely wants to do a glove boxing match. A big fight against a big name, somebody ranked, and defend his title and keep moving forward.”

With an 8-0 record with all first round finishes with an approach that’s never overzealous or recklessly pursuant of a knockout, when asked how he maintains that composure out there, Trujillo stated

“All that calmness comes from the hours in the gym. I study my opponent. I see what they do right. What they do wrong. We come to execute a plan and just, it’s all the experience from fighting. All the experience from being in a gym, and just all the hard work I put in brings that calmness. I never look for the knockout, and the knockout comes when it’s time.”

BKB Miami

When asked how he generally sees these tells in opposition that he can so demonstrably capitalize on, Trujillo said

“that just comes with the errors that my opponent makes. I just look for the errors, and I’m very effective when I hit somebody. So I wait, it’s a calculated move, and when he makes his wrong move, I capitalize on that and then knock him out.”

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing

Considering Terrill’s pedigree but also how much intel he tends ot collect in round one, when ‘The Cuban Assassin’ was asked about if this could be his first bare-knuckle bout that encroaches into the second stanza, Trujillo stated that he

“Never looks for the first-round knockouts. My opponents make mistakes, and I capitalize on them, and it happens to be all first-round knockouts. Anything can happen inside of a boxing ring. Mick Terrill is a good fighter. If it goes into the second round, it goes into the second round. I’m not looking for a first-round knockout. But I am looking to force a fight. I’m going to use my feints. I’m going to put some pressure on him to fight. Once they makes a mistake, whenever the knock comes, it will come.”

Offering up parting thoughts before what is ultimately one of the most historically significant bare-knuckle boxing bouts of all time, Trujillo added

“United States, my title, Gustavo Trujillo, Champion [of] the world. ‘The Cuban Assassin’ in the house, baby. Let’s go.”

The post Gustavo Trujillo Sees Historic Bare Knuckle Win at BKB 58 That Secures Big Boxing Bout appeared first on Cageside Press.

The post Roberto Duran Jr. Targets Victor Ortiz Bout in December and LT Nelson Fight with BKB 58 Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

The multi-promotion champion is an ardent family man as well and when asked if he is the toughest granddad of all time, Terrill said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

“I’m not sure about the toughest one, but I might be up there [laughter].”

Terrill has previously mentioned that when you’re at a certain level it’s not about necessarily asking the name of your opponent, you’re just down to fight whoever. When asked if this fight embodies that in the biggest way considering the caliber of Trujillo, Terrill stated

“Yeah, we have a saying in our gym. It’s anyone, anytime, anywhere. When the fight come up, I seen the fight come up, I actually pursued it. That that was it. Anyone, anytime, anywhere.”

BKB 58

Touching on the timeline from learning of Mark O’Neill’s visa issues to becoming the new fighter to step up and vie for BKB gold, Terrill said

“Well obviously I’m 6 weeks away from another fight. So I just really started me fight camp and then it was in the morning. I was actually leaving to come to Miami. I [had] seen that Mark had visa issues. So I text straight away, would have been middle of the night for the Americans. But I said I’m on my way. Do you want us to bring me me kit? They weren’t replying. I went I’ll bring it in anyways, just in case. Then by the time we flew from Newcastle to Heathrow London, I was on the phone to them then saying, “I’ll take that fight if you want.” Then luckily they give us it.”

Mick Terrill was previously the BKB champion in the more compact square ring. When asked what it was fighting in the Mighty Trigon, Terrill noted that

“I didn’t notice anything different. I think as long as you can pivot and you can turn and move, I think you should be okay. Obviously, you’re going to get someone that strong might pin you on the rope and then you’re going to find a little bit of difficulty. But I think apart from that, it was big enough.”

BKB Miami

When the inquiry was brought up regarding how long Gustavo Trujillo has been on his radar for, Terrill stated

“I think it was when I was going to be fighting Lorenzo Hunt and he had previously knocked out Lorenzo. So you take a close eye of him then and really, I was watching to see what he done to to knock Hunt out. To try and replicate, to get the same result. But I end up knocking Hunt out myself in a different style. But I took notice of him then.”

With both of these BKB Miami warriors having finishes of Lorenzo Hunt, who is someone that BKFC touts as their number one pound-for-pound fighter, the idea that the winner of this fight could be number one pound-for-pound in the sport overall. To that notion, Terrill allowed that

“Lorenzo’s very good. He’s just not very big. I tell him that all the time, but if Lorenzo was a little bit bigger, maybe he would be. But taking nothing away from Lorenzo, he’s a very good operator. He’s just small.”

Mike Perry quips and Tom Aspinall rumblings

When Terrill fought Hunt at Knuckle Mania, at the pre-fight weigh-ins, he teased Mike Perry about his shorts and ‘Platinum’ playfully threw some punches near his face or something like that and everything like that.

Perry also is fighting on Saturday in Florida and faces his own short notice situation with Dillon Danis dropping off and Brandon Jenkins stepping in. When delving into Mike Perry’s similar kind of story this weekend, Terrill said

“Yeah, Perry’s a cool guy. I’ve got a lot of time for Mike and he’s game. In England, we call him game as a badger and he will fight anyone. Mike Perry, he’s a good operator.”

BKB’s CEO has also expressed a desire to want to co-promote with Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom, and even Golden Boy potentially. When asking the gloveless titan if anyone from those stables might interest him in terms of a possible boxing bout opportunity, Terrill stated

“Wherever the money is, I’ll be there. I don’t care who it is, where it is. Give us the money. I’m in.”

While Tom Aspinall is still technically contracted to the UFC, there are some rumblings he might leave and the UFC heavyweight champ is also represented in a managerial sense by Matchroom figurehead Eddie Hearn. When asked what his appetite would be a UFC champion versus the top bare knuckle heavyweight to create a big UK draw domestically, Terrill exclaimed

“If the money was there, I’m in. You haven’t got to ask us twice. Usually what happens is I get a phone call, Mick, we’ve got an opponent. Before they’ve told us the opponent, I just say, I’m in. That’s me. That’s me quoting it. I’m in. I don’t care who it is. I’m big enough. I’m strong enough. I know how to defend myself. I know how to punch people. That’s enough credentials to get us in.”

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing

Speaking to how cerebral he is and what it’s like collecting intel on someone like Trujillo who has a smaller body of work to examine being that he’s 8-0 with all first round KO’s, Terrill said

“He’s very good at hypnotizing people and that’s how I like to call it. He’ll slow the pace down to whatever he wants it and then he picks shots at will. So what he’ll do is, he’ll slow it down and he’ll come with a little flurry. He’s quite good at moving forward not getting hit and I think he’s just got like extra fast hands. Like I’m not saying he has lots of shots quickly. I’m saying his strikes are very fast.”

In a prior interview, the UK combatant mentioned that he never lost the BKB gold and feels a type of way seeing someone else hold it. Addressing the dynamics within that previous quote, Terrill stated

“I think when you get interviews sometimes you get words put in your mouth that they want you to say. Usually I would never talk like that. But they put words in your mouth and I give up that belt ages ago. It was a whole different organization then. It was a square ring. But like I say, the opportunities arose. Nobody comes into an organization and says I want to be number two. Everybody wants to be number one. Have I bit off a bit more than I could chew? Maybe, I haven’t got enough fight prep in us for the fight. But even if I was 100%, Gustavo is a hard fight. So might as well just jump in now.”

BKB

Being that he was the BKB champion in that smaller square compact ring, he was the BKFC champion as well, and if he were to win this BKB belt in the Mighty Trigon, he would have essentially won gold in all the bigger competitive arenas in the modern era. When asked if that’s of particular importance to him in a legacy sense, Terrill explained

“I never think of it as a legacy. I just carry on me day as normal. Like I’ve won everything I’ve done, but I just carry on as normal. I get up in the morning, take me dogs out, I own a gym, go to the gym, do me training, go back home. Me wife, me wife makes me tea, and we sit and watch a film. I’ve just got a really boring normal life. So like I’m not really fussed on the legacies and stuff. I just enjoy having a fight.”

When asked if the legacy is more about family and showing up as a husband, father, and even grandfather, Terrill said

“Even that. You know, when I was a kid I just wanted to be a man. Then I’m just like, now I’m a man I think, I’m a man you know what I mean? That’s all I ever wanted to be and like the father, the wife, the grandkids, the kids, that’s part of being a man. We’re all capable of doing it. You just got to get out there and do it.”

Mick Terrill: The Family Man

With his consistently calm temperament, when it was inquired about how he keeps so even-keeled and grounded, Terrill stated

“I’ve got a wife. She keeps you very grounded. You know what I mean? I’m lucky I’ve got a good family nucleus, you know? So like, some of them they get that little bit of fame and they want to go off and be superstars. Really I just want to provide for me family. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

Still wanting on BKB 60

Terrill was previously booked for a Newcastle fight before this booking but also wants to honor that October booking. When asked if his ideal series of events is winning the gold and then defending the Police Gazette diamond belt against Kamil Sokolowski in the Fall, Terrill quipped

“Of course, it is. If there’s a fight there and me two arms are attached to us, I’ll be there.”

Many boxing and MMA promotions could only dream of facilitating this kind of bout rescheduling considering the tight timeline and to that, Terrill said

“Yeah. Like like I say the previous promotion, I was fighting like once a year. Like I’m no spring chicken now and like I’m getting on. Really I’ve got a target. I want to hit a 100 fights and I’m not far off 100 fights in me caree. Like that’s the goal and I need to be fighting to hit that target.”

Looking for that one hundred fight mark

When asked how close he is to that 100-fight mark, Terrill stated

“I think I’m about four fights off and like I fought at a decent level all the way through. So, I mean [laughs], I’m saying they’re not easy fights. Some of them I’ve knocked out straight away, but like they’ve all been at a decent level.”

His reputation as a rough customer is spotlighted in the ring but he taps into his softer side in grandad mode. Expounding upon that, Terrill explained

“Yeah, we’ve got another granddaughter. It’s been a struggle for us because I’m one of four sons. So with three brothers, then I have three sons and then all me grandkids are female. So it’s hard to adjust because they want to play with horses. So like I find myself with little toy horses and stuff now. It’s like something I’ve never done before, you know? So it’s been an adjustment.”

Toy Horses and Museum Ice Cream

When asked if it’s fun dabbling with playing with the toy horses even though it’s more unfamiliar to him, Terrill said

“I think it’s the smile you see on their face. So like I’ve even had little mini cups of teas and stuff with a little tea set. But it makes them happy. So that’s life. You got to make your kids happy and your grandkids and so forth.”

Succintly touching on his mindset behind being playful in this kind of manner, Terrill stated

“Yeah,  it’s nice to be nice.”

When asked if the ideal post-fight routine is taking his grandchild to Beamish Museum, Terrill admitted that

“I do like a trip to Beamish. It’s got a great bakery and it’s set in the Victorian era. So like 1801 to 1890 or something. So it does homemade bakery, homemade fish and chips. It’s even got a little bar in there. So, you get some very good whiskey in there and it’s not a bad little trip out….I’ll go straight from the bakery straight into the 1950s diner and I’ll get myself a banana split. It’s bakery straight a banana split. It’s not a bad day.”

Journeying from middleweight to heavyweight

Being that he’s a heavyweight fighter, when asked if he has to eliminate sweets or if he can keep indulging and that’s somewhat part of the appeal fighting in that higher weight category, Terrill stated

“It’s funny you should say that. Obviously back in the day I used to fight at 185 lbs. So like I was in England it’s 85 kilo. But like as I’m getting older, I went up to heavyweight and now I’m starting to cut weight to be a heavyweight. Which I never ever thought would happen. But even I was; I come in, I was four pounds over yesterday. So I had very little tea, no water. So it’s like I never ever thought I’d cut weight to be a heavyweight.”

A prior interview saw Mick Terrill discuss how his musculature in recent years and when asked what adds to that change in physique, Terrill quipped

“I started doing weights but mainly ice cream. Eat ice cream. People call it ice cream, but  it’s milk. You know what I mean? It’s what cows use to build themselves up. So plenty ice cream. Get the sweet flavor. I like a Häagen-Dazs strawberry cheesecake and if I can get loads of that, I’ll have a liter every day, mate.”

Ice Cream Sponsorship Desires and possible super heavyweight gold

Playfully mentioning that maybe a Häagen-Dazs sponsorship could someday come with BKB continuing to grow their profile, Terrill said

“Well, if I can get a Häagen-Dazs sponsor, I’ll be over the moon, mate. I mean, I’ll be like a beached whale, but [laughter] I’ll be over the moon.”

Jokingly quipping about BKB’s as of yet unestablished super heavyweight title and how maybe the former BKFC and BKB champ could add that presently fictitious title to his resume, Terrill stated

“Is there a super heavyweight? Is it?”

Revealing that there was some playfulness transpiring there, the United Kingdom standout again showed his gamesmanship within combat, as Terrill joked

“I was going to say I’m in.”

The post Mick Terrill Aims For Unprecedented Greatness at BKB 58 Against Bare Knuckle’s Most Danergous Heavyweight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ragin’ Bull battles the unbeaten Murat Kilimetov, and the Canadian bare-knuckle champion is already ranked in BKB, whereby a victory in his sophomore appearance could set him up for the Julian Fernandez vs. Dan Podmore victor at BKB 59 in Mexico.

BKB 58

Reflecting on his BKB debut in Q1 of 2026 and what it was like fighting in the smallest combat sports space in the world, Bull said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker]

“It honestly felt right at home. My footwork and how I move, I’m used to the tight space. Like, I like dancing. I like doing the footwork thing when the space is there. But when it comes down to the actual exchange, I cut the angles and like it was very comfortable. Considering it’s the smallest space in combat sports, it felt like more than enough room. I’m just saying like I always knew when I watched the Trigon come out years ago, I was like I want to try that out. I want to. So, it’s kind of come full circle to where I made my debut last time and it just really felt like like I was home.”

Also besting a demonstrably experienced opponent in Bubba McDaniel, a very well-traveled combat sports athlete who has fought names like UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and former BKFC cruiserweight champ Chris Camozzi. When asked about getting that first-round finish and catching the attention of the broader BKB fan base, Bull stated

“Yeah. No, it was definitely a fun debut, for sure. I managed to; I think I made a statement when it comes down to bare knuckle and what I’ve done so far. I haven’t landed that many punches, in the broader look at things. I haven’t landed that many punches, but every punch I land does damage. So, I mean, it’s yeah; then with with this guy, with this next fight, I don’t think he’s really been tested in bare knuckle. So, I’m definitely looking to [do that]. I’m going give him nothing but respect. You’re absolutely right. I fight every single fight like it’s my last fight. I fight it like it’s the last time I’m going to get a chance to show out. So every fight from now on and has been like this is every fight is just the most serious thing, right? It could be my last one. So I take it as serious as I can. Everybody gets respect. You’re willing to step in that ring. You’re willing to get [it], you got my respect. So I’m excited to to test. Like I said, I think Murat hasn’t been tested in bare knuckle. He’s gotten some quick finishes, but no one’s really planted one on him. So, I’m interesting to see how well he takes a punch.”

BKB Miami

Expounding upon his thoughts that his August 29th adversary has yet to face adversity in the world of gloveless combat as of yet, Bull noted that

“I mean, it all changes when you get hit, right? So me having more reach on him, I’m sure we’re going to exchange, which is what I look for. I look for the exchange, right? Cuz I mean, my whole thing is we’re going to hit each other. Like it’s silly to go in and think, “Oh, I don’t want to get hit.” That’s a disservice a lot of fighters do to themselves. You got to go in there knowing you’re going to get hit. Welcome the hit. You know, we’re in there. This is the fight game. This is the hurt game. We got to be ready to get hurt. So, I’m fully prepared to get hurt, to get hit. But I wager that I handle it better than him.”

The victor of this fight is positioned quite well for a crack at gold either late-2026 or early-2027, and when expounding upon what a win could get him here on Saturday, Bull said

“Yes. Ideally I make a statement… I either get a contender, so it would be the number one guy or the champ. Julian Fernandez fighting, he’s defending his belt next month in September. So depending on what happens there, yeah, I feel like making a statement and then asking for what I’m here to do is go for the title. So whatever is going to get me closer to that. Again, I’m not too worried about the logistics first things first, right? But that’s the goal is to make a statement and work my way closer. As you said, like I’m number two in the division. There’s not much of a ladder left. Get me, you know. So it’s all about making a statement… I’m usually pretty easygoing. I don’t make like demands with anybody, any organizations. I just kind of put myself out there. I do the thing and I see where it sends me, right? So I’m going to go out, do the thing, make a statement, and see what BKB thinks. Let them decide. Ball will be in their court. I got two more fights. I got a four fight contract. So, this will be two more after this one. So, depending on where they want to take me from there. So, I’m excited to see how that goes. But again, I’m always eye on the prize, right? Don’t want to get ahead of myself. So, first things first, next week looking as I said, I’m always looking forward to it. Like it’s about I mean, I know you got to be serious in training. You got to take things [seriously], being a professional is a big part of this, but having fun is really [key]. Because a couple years back, it was all about winning. I needed to win. I don’t worry about that anymore. ‘m just more set on fighting hard. I go out and treat it like it’s my last fight and I make sure that I’m ready to fight hard. Great things happen. When I go out and try to win, right, and try to focus on, oh, I got to, you pigeon hole yourself with the vision. I just work on showing up that day fully fed, ready to fight. As long as I do that, things go very well. So, I trust my skill.”

Taylor Bull

The indigenous athlete is also rocking a custom flag that is designed to show love to his community but also foster broader unity. Explaining the significance of that, Bull said

“Yeah. I’m going to be representing. It’s kind of a universal flag. It represents the Cree culture, but the medicine wheel with the four colors, it’s kind of an embodying of all people’s, you know. Yeah, it’s a custom-made flag. Ivor, his brother, actually custom made it for him and it just so happened we were at a sweat lodge ceremony we were doing. Bumped into each other and we kind of just clicked. He’s like, “Yeah, I want you to take this.” I thought, “This is perfect. I’m gonna fly this out at the weigh-ins and represent.”

Delving into embodying the idea of not hesitating so as to be in a flow state to be optimally effective, Bull stated

“Yeah, being fully fed. That’s one of the things I’ve been just [all about]. Just as long as I got a belly full of food, I’m dangerous, man.”

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing

When offering a recent anecdote to spotlight his growth into someone who is quite community minded and giving, Bull said

“Yeah, I actually had my high school principal walk up to me at a Powow a couple of weeks ago and just real randomly. Just shook my hand and said, “Hey, I hear you’re doing good things nowadays.” He just said, “Good job, young man.” Just it was odd, you know, because back in high school, I wasn’t this guy, right? So, it was a funny moment just like, yeah. I’m not here for the limelight. I do what I do because it needs to be done. But you know, it’s nice to be acknowledged. I think people are taking [notice], they’re noticing. Again, that’s not what I do it for, but I don’t know. I do appreciate the love and the support for everything I’m doing. So, it makes a difference.”

The post Taylor Bull Thinks Murat Kilimetov Hasn’t Been Tested Before BKB 58: “Every Punch I Land Does Damage” appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Oh yeah, there’s a hell of a lot to talk about. We’ve changed our main event to Gustavo Trujillo versus Mick Terrill. It’s an incredible 16 hours. It’s a journey that we’ve been on. It all came together because of our fighter first ethos inside of our company. We were able to sit down as executives, figure out a plan when unfortunately [Mark] O’Neill was not able to get through with his visa. We did have a replacement in Jarome Hatch. Interestingly enough, we already had Mick Terrill heading to the US to come to the fight to do a faceoff with the winner. When he saw that the fight had fell apart, he contacted us. He contacted us and said, “I’ll fight him if you’re interested.” We made that happen in 16 hours. We worked very closely with Trujillo’s camp, very closely with Mick’s Camp, and we got it done. That’s going to be one hell of a fight. Probably one of the biggest bare knuckle fights ever.”

When mentioning how this bout not only stands as a testament to the temerity and gamesmanship of the fighters, but something that speaks volumes to the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the BKB team behind the scenes, Tetreault stated

“Yeah. I really appreciate you recognizing that because in traditional boxing stuff like this would never happen. With other organizations I think it’s highly unlikely that this would happen. It really comes from the whole environment that our chairman and owner Mike Vazquez has fostered from the beginning. He’s a very fair person and with that and the way that he was able to set up NASCAR Mexico. He has an understanding of the sports game. My background serving many years as a chief business officer at Golden Boy, I’ve dealt with a lot of issues with fights falling apart and figuring out ways around it. So with being able to bring our whole team together and the fighters together, it speaks volumes about how we treat our fighters. How quickly we can move and pivot into making good decisions.”

BKB 58 touches down in the promotion’s major hub as they target additional global expansion

Touching on this card, which is centric on Cuban combatants like Yordan Fuentes, Alberto Blas, and Yampier Ramirez, Tetreault added,

“Yeah, like I mentioned, Miami is one of our major hubs. LA is going to become one of our major hubs. London, Manchester, Newcastle. Then we’re going to be opening up Mexico September 19th. We just signed a partnership with Xan [sp???] for Boxing. They’re going to be our co-promoter throughout Mexico and Latin America, helping us operationally, helping us with fighters and their cards, working with us on marketing, and that’s going to be a hell of an event. With Julian Fernandez defending his title in his hometown, Tijuana, that’s a big, big step, you know. So, a lot of different pivots within the organization to really take it and push it on a worldwide stage.”

Offering up his final parting thoughts during the on-location interview at KO Zone during the fight week media day for BKB Miami, Tetreault said

“You know, I would just say that, Gareth [A. Davies] hit it on the nose that this event here in Miami on Saturday night is our capstone to our summer of BKB. The summer of BKB started June 27th with Lee Selby making his debut to a victory. Then it continued in LA with Victor Ortiz victorious. Then July 25th with the Vargas brothers making their debuts in London which was on fire, and I knew bringing the boys to London was going to be a gamechanger. It’s opening the door to new signings. It’s opening the door to new opportunities. Also, Mick Terrill on that card, won that. Here we are with the last fight for the summer of BKB here in Miami. Top to bottom, that card is stacked, and that’s the way we roll here. We just bring really good fights, really good opportunities, and we create ultimate environments for the fans to enjoy themselves.”

The post BKB 58 Main Event Movement Addressed by BKB CEO David Tetreault appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.”

The post Yampier Ramirez Is BKB’s Youngest Champ and Eyes a Bloody KO at BKB 58 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Delving into the timeline from last November, which saw her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut to where she is now preparing for the BKB Mighty Trigon on Saturday, Ladd said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

“It was a whole lot of being told you’re going to fight, you have a fight, or we’re trying to get you a fight, and then nothing. I’m not okay with waiting for six, seven, eight months and fighting maybe once a year. That’s not cool. I want to build a record. I want to; well in bare knuckle. I’ve done other things obviously, but I enjoyed what I did.”

“I enjoy the sport of bare knuckle, but you can’t low or learn grow anything in fighting once a year, right? So I was like this is not working for me. So we ventured out, had discussions with other people that were incredibly professional. Started having that conversation and yeah ended up with BKB because I liked everything about them.”

BKB 58

Being one of the more well-traveled prize fighters in the game having fought for UFC, Bellator, PFL, and BKFC to name a few. Touching on being a multi-sport combat athlete and how any possible options that could generate for her, Ladd stated

“So, the cool thing is with BKB, I can still compete in other combat sports if I choose to, but right now Bare Knuckle is my focus, right? So, they’re my home for that. If I choose to go another route, it has to make sense time-wise with what I’m doing with BKB. Yeah, obviously I’m MMA. MMA is my first love and still it’s something that I’m good at and I enjoy. So, could I return to MMA at some point? Yes. But BKB will still be my home for bare knuckle fighting.”

Touching upon how exciting it is to actually take on some of the independent contractor benefits of being a fighter in an embodied way whereby BKB is supporting that, Ladd explained

“No, one of the; I mean there is many factors of why I chose to go with them, but one of the things I saw leading up to it was how they supported their BKB athletes in their boxing fights, right? Like they’re fully supportive. There’s no anger, no issues. It’s like, okay, they don’t just say you have an opportunity to, they’re actually they’re real about it, right?”

“So that made me feel a lot better because obviously I want to do multiple things. Even though this is my focus at the moment and it will continue to be, my entire goal with this organization is get the belt, and then there’s multiple weight classes I could fight in, right. So I am on a quest for belts at BKB.”

BKB Miami

As far as eyeing multi-division championship goals in BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, Ladd said

“It’s very possible. So where I’m at right now, the 140 lb weight class is perfect for me, right? But there’s two other options here, but they would have to make sense. So, and I love; that’s another reason, the boxing weight classes. My entire life, I would have been a 140. For me, 135 is very, very difficult, but doable with the right circumstances. 147 is easy. 140 is perfect. So, depending on where the opportunities take us, we’ll see.”

Ladd is already attracting big attention as evidenced by BKB champ Jamie Driver posting a smiley face emoji on a Tim Wheaton Instagram post regarding her signing to BKB. Succinctly responding to that comment, Ladd stated

“Oh, I certainly should be.”

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing

The California native is clearly ardently focused on her bare-knuckle path, and when asked if there was a certain revelatory piece that’s inspiring her broader path in the world of gloveless combat, Ladd noted that

“It did. So there’s always some trepidation when you take on anything new, right? Especially bare-knuckle. Coming over from MMA, you think about, it’s like, “Oh, there’s no protection. My face is going to get broken. I’m going to break my hands every time I fight. It’s going to be; There’s going to be a lot of physical toll. We’re going to take a lot of time off in between.”

“But the reality of that, at least for me, it’s not for everybody, right? I came out of it fine. My hands felt better than they do with; because the MMA gloves like they’re weird. Like your hands are pulled in odd directions. The solidness of being, well and we also trained very, very specifically to hit right, to get stronger, to make sure that you don’t whack something you shouldn’t, let’s say, for months and months and months on end.”

“So the precision. So you focused more on precision and less protection, but getting in there and actually experience it, the bare bones quality of the combat. I loved it. Like I like getting right to the point when you fight, right? I don’t; It’s like there’s no time to be boring with bare-knuckle. Obviously with BKFC, their ring’s even a little bit bigger than the Trigon. I haven’t been in a real one yet, but we’ve like mapped it out in the gym.”

“Like there there is absolutely no breathing room. It’s going to be go and you’re on each other, which I like. Like I like that part of fighting, right? So, yes, it was kind of a revelation for me. It’s like, okay, this is not exactly what I thought going in. I really like this. I want to keep doing this. So, that’s been my goal since the first fight. It’s just getting drug out as far as when that fight would be.”

The compact nature of the Trigon seems to fit the 31-year-old’s fighting style, and when addressing how this seems like a great dynamic for exciting the viewers this weekend, Ladd said

“Most certainly. Yeah. No. So, as soon as I saw it, I was like, “Oh, this is this is kind of exciting.” So I remember we put it all; because you do that too for MMA. Whatever sport you’re fighting in or whatever size ring you’re fighting in for your sparring, you map it out. It’s like, “Oh, this is this is tiny. This is nice.””

Aspen Ladd says BKB is “on their s**t” ahead of promotinal debut effort

Aspen Ladd brings the approach of a methodical, calculated fighter to all athletics, and that includes bare-knuckle conditioning work and things of that persuasion. Expounding a bit upon some of the specifically tailored work for this literal bare-bones sport, Ladd explained that

“Yeah. I mean, there’s so much you don’t really; I mean, everybody shares their training clips, right? But there’s a lot you don’t talk about and you just do it, right. But like the behind the scenes things and I don’t know how other people are doing it for Bare Knuckle. I know how old-timers did it because my former, only former coach cuz he retired. He had done bare knuckle in his youth. So, we did a lot of things that he had done preparing when he was fighting. but yeah, so I don’t know how everybody’s doing it. I just know that there are certain steps we’ve been taking to do it right basically.”

When asked if she learned any veteran bare-knuckle fighting tricks from her retired coach, Ladd stated

“Everything’s a little bit different and back then there was; rules were kind of a suggestion as opposed to a fixated thing. So yeah, he knows all kinds of things.”

BKB

In a scenario where your goal is gold, fighting a former title challenger in the bare-knuckle world does serve that desired trajectory well. When asked for her thoughts on what Bianca Daimoni brings to the table as an opponent here in Miami, Ladd said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

“Yeah. No, she’ll be a tough opponent. They’re not; that’s not a walkthrough whatsoever. she has experience. She looks solid. she’s obviously fought for BKB a couple times now, and one of them was against the title holder, but she’s got MMA experience, too. So, she should be a little bit more aware of certain things there. But yeah, she’s going to be a tough and beyond worthy opponent to get this show basically this party started with. But yeah, no, she’s going to be tough.”

This fight is massive in a localized way, but when asked about the sentiment about fighting on such a stacked card, Ladd stated

“No, I was thrilled and that was the other thing. So BKB is, for lack of a better way to put it, on their s**t. So from the time that you’re talking, they answer every question, right? But from the time you sign with them to when you have a fight booked to and you could obviously ask for certain things, right? originally after we had done the signing, they wanted me a little bit further out, but it’s like cuz I’ve been in camp forever. It’s like I would really like to fight, if it’s okay, a little bit sooner than that. So I ended up getting the Miami card, which I’m so grateful for. then within two days, they had an opponent booked. Like just how concise they are with everything. is like, “This is fantastic.” then they sent over her and was like, “Okay, this is a tough chick. That’s great.” Like just it’s been smooth. It’s been a very smooth transition.”

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Kicking off this UFC Shanghai edition of TTP is our interview with Road to UFC flyweight semifinalist, Joseph Larcinese. Larcinese talks about his win in the quarterfinals of this year’s bracket and explains what he wish he did better. Plus, he talks about the cravings for some sweets, but getting an ill-timed stomach bug coming off of that fight. Now he’s hungrier than ever – literally and figuratively. He talks about what that hunger will look like in the cage as well as what it will look like when he seeks some sweets after the fact.

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC Shanghai (10:48)

After a show on the West coast, the UFC crosses the Pacific for UFC Shanghai from China. Headlining the card is local favorite Sogn Yadong as he tries to catapault his way into the title picture at the expense of Umar Nurmagomedov. Plus, in the co-man event, top strawweight contender, Xiaonan Yan, looks to hold off Denise Gomes as she looks to ride up the rankings as well. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Hunter Smith Interview (15:52)

Closing out this UFC Shanghai edition of TTP is our interview with Dana White Contender Series lightweight, Hunter Smith. Smith discusses the foundation he laid with American Kombat Alliance in his home of Lousiana. He discusses what it would mean to put them on the map a bit with a win on Contender Series. First, he’ll have to get through Adam Livingston on Week 4 of this year’s show. He breaks down that fight for us as well.

The post TTP Ep. 546: Joseph Larcinese, Hunter Smith and UFC Shanghai appeared first on Cageside Press.