Justin Ibarrola Eyes BKFC Gold: A Look into His Upcoming Bantamweight Championship Fight
Justin Ibarrola is on a roll in the world of bare-knuckle boxing, with an unbeaten streak that could potentially lead to him claiming the BKFC bantamweight title on December 5th. He is set to face off against former BKFC title challenger Ryan Reber in the co-main event of BKFC 85, and Ibarrola is confident in his abilities, stating that he doesn’t see Reber as a significant threat.
When discussing his thoughts on Reber’s skills and experience, Ibarrola said, “I don’t look at it as a championship fight, and I don’t mean it in any kind of disrespectful way to Reber. But just because I don’t think he’s on my level of competition, to be honest. He’s a great fighter. He can take a f**king punch. He can last the rounds. He can come back and win, you know? He definitely has that spirit, that fighter spirit. He has that grit, but other than that, I don’t think he’s been punched by anybody like me.”
Ibarrola’s Analysis of Reber’s Fighting Style
Ibarrola has been studying Reber’s past fights, but he doesn’t put much stock in his opponent’s performance against Alberto Blas, saying, “I don’t even judge him on his fight against [Alberto] Blas because I could tell he fought really scared in that fight, very intimidated. He had a lot of s**t going on in his head. And I don’t think; if he didn’t let the mental get to him, he would have definitely performed a lot better. I think, so.” Instead, Ibarrola looks at Reber’s fights against other opponents, such as Quinton Anthony Foye, to get a better sense of his skills and weaknesses.
Ibarrola believes that he has a significant advantage over Reber, stating, “I don’t think he’s been in the ring with somebody who can move like me, who is as quick as me. Yeah, I mean, I don’t even judge him on his fight against Blas because I could tell he fought really scared in that fight, very intimidated.” He also thinks that Reber’s durability and grit will not be enough to overcome his own skills and experience.
A Confident Ibarrola Looks Ahead to the Fight
When asked if he had a prediction for the fight, Ibarrola said, “I run so many different scenarios in my head to prepare myself for anything. I don’t just say oh I can see myself knocking him out in the first round because then if it doesn’t happen then and I’m not prepared for the other situations that could really mess me up.” He prefers to focus on his training and preparation, rather than making bold predictions.
Ibarrola is confident in his ability to win the fight, saying, “There’s not a planet on this earth, there’s not a universe in the world where I even remotely think that he can beat me. So, you know, whether it’s a knockout or we do go the distance, you know, cuz I’m the type of fighter who I can dance around the ring all day long if I wanted to. I could get an easy victory. I did it in my last fight.” He believes that his skills and experience make him the clear favorite to win the BKFC bantamweight title.
A Title Shot Too Good to Pass Up
Ibarrola initially planned to take a break from fighting, but the offer to fight for the BKFC title was too tempting to resist. He said, “You know, my last fight I really didn’t even plan on fighting until Dave Feldman called me and said, ‘You have to fight him so we can potentially give you a title shot after.’ So I was like, ‘All right, s**t, you know what? I planned on taking a break, but since you’re mentioning like a title fight and the pay is good for me, then I might as well fight.'” Ibarrola is now focused on winning the title and proving himself as one of the best bare-knuckle boxers in the world.
With his confidence and skills on full display, Justin Ibarrola is ready to take on Ryan Reber and claim the BKFC bantamweight title. The fight promises to be an exciting and closely watched event, with Ibarrola’s unbeaten streak and Reber’s determination making for a compelling matchup.
