Jamel Herring and Nate Maness are slated to compete for the vacant bantamweight championship at BKFC 89 on May 22nd. A fighter who has challenged for the BKFC 135-pound crown twice, Ryan Reber, has shared his thoughts on this upcoming bout. Reber is currently set to face Joshua Oxendine, a former BKB Bare Knuckle title challenger, at BKFC Clearwater tonight.
This matchup between former title contenders from different bare-knuckle promotions not only promises an exciting fight but also serves as a potential title eliminator. When asked about the upcoming bantamweight title clash in BKFC and how this fight could position him for a shot at the title, Reber stated, “When I get Joshua Oxendine out of the way, yeah, I would hope that they would put me up against the winner of Jamel Herring versus Nate Maness. Either one of those fights really intrigues me because those are really decorated guys, you know what I mean? So it’s not like fighting a Justin Ibarrola or another guy that came up through the rankings. It’s actually fighting a guy that’s got a real complete resume. So you take a guy like that out, that to me is better than the world title. But then it’s winning the world title on top of it.”
“So it’s like a double whammy and they got everything to lose in the fight. You know what I mean? Like you’re losing to a guy like me that may have more bare knuckle experience than you but doesn’t have more experience in what he’s done in the combat world. You know what I mean? Like Nate was a highly decorated UFC guy. Then you got Herring who was a highly decorated boxer and you know that’s what I want right there.”
BKFC 89 Palm Desert Main Event Breakdown Continues
Further elaborating on the impending vacant title bout between Herring and Maness, and how a victory over ex-BKB lightweight title challenger Oxendine tonight could potentially offer him a “third time’s the charm” opportunity, Reber continued, “So that would definitely be something I’d be gunning for next. I’m gonna pay and it’s kind of the same boat. I mean, you look at Herring, 1 and 0. Then you look at Nate, he hasn’t even had a fight at 135 yet [laughs]. You know what I mean? He fought Tyler Randall who was a 125er. Like, I give him that fight, you know what I mean? Of course, because a fight’s a fight, but I mean, it’s not too impressive of a win. I mean, those guys literally got that chance because of who they are outside of the bare knuckle sport.”
English Translation:
Jamel Herring and Nate Maness are set to clash for the vacant bantamweight championship at BKFC 89 on May 22nd, and a former two-time title challenger for the BKFC 135-pound crown has weighed in on the fight. The combatant in question is Ryan Reber, who is facing former BKB Bare Knuckle title challenger Joshua Oxendine at BKFC Clearwater tonight.
This battle of former title contenders across different bare-knuckle promotions not only makes for an exciting fight but also a possible title eliminator. When discussing the upcoming bantamweight title clash in BKFC and how this fight could potentially propel him into contention, Reber said, “When I get [Joshua Oxendine] out of the way, yes, I would hope they would put me against the winner of [Jamel] Herring versus [Nate] Maness. Either of those fights really intrigues me because they are genuinely accomplished fighters, you understand? So it’s not like fighting a Justin Ibarrola or another guy who has risen through the ranks. It’s actually fighting someone with a truly complete resume. To take out a guy like that, to me, is more valuable than a world title. But then it’s winning the world title on top of that.”
“So it’s a double whammy, and they have everything to lose in the fight. You know what I mean? Like losing to a guy like me who might have more bare-knuckle experience than you but doesn’t have more experience in what he’s accomplished in the combat world. You understand? Like Nate was a highly accomplished UFC fighter. Then you have Herring, who was a highly accomplished boxer, and you know, that’s what I’m after.”
BKFC 89 Palm Desert Main Event Breakdown Continued
Further delving into this looming Herring vs. Maness vacant title bout and how a win over ex-BKB lightweight title challenger Oxendine tonight could possibly grant him a “third time’s the charm” type of opportunity, Reber continued, “So that would definitely be something I’d be pursuing next. I’m going to watch, and it’s a similar situation. I mean, you look at Herring, 1-0. Then you look at Nate; he hasn’t even had a fight at 135 yet [laughs]. You know what I mean? He fought Tyler Randall, who was a 125er. I’ll give him that fight, you know what I mean? Of course, because a fight is a fight, but I mean, it’s not a highly impressive win. I mean, those guys literally got that chance because of who they are outside of the bare-knuckle sport.”
