Josh Dyer and Jared Warren will rematch with interim light heavyweight gold on the line at BKFC 47.
The fistic fireworks broadcast on the Bare Knuckle TV app and Fite TV with the pugilistic proceedings emanate from Jenkins Arena in Lakeland, Florida.
Dyer spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News prior to the prizefight. Excerpts from the chat are below.
Josh Dyer
How does your bare-knuckle journey across Valor BK and now BKFC tie into the history you have with Warren as this rematch looms closer?
“So I was actually a little intimidated with bare-knuckle fighting when it first became a big thing. I didn’t really want to be a part of it because everything I do uses my hands. So I’m not trying to bust them all up. My manager was just like hey, bud, should I give them (Valor BK) a call? Just kind of see what the pay is and you know, maybe we should consider it? I was just like nah, I don’t really think it’s worth it. But I mean it is what it is, we can at least see the money.”
“You know they called and he called me back. He told me what it was and I was just like damn dude, that’s like five times more I’ve ever been offered. So I was just like who is it against? Figured out oh it’s a UFC veteran (Dane Sayers). Alright cool, we’re gonna go ahead and try to whoop his ass. We accepted the fight, we took it, we finished him in the first which was the gameplan. From there that fight got us into the bare-knuckle scene over in BKFC.”
BKFC 47
“They told us we were going against a nobody in the beginning. I tried a new manager and he kind of screwed me a little bit. Set me up with Jared Warren and told me that he was like a nobody. Didn’t have any real skills, nothing like that, weak chin, all that. So I was like alright, cool. So I went there, tried to finish him in the first, couldn’t do it. Second, couldn’t do it. Third, you know. Ended up finishing him (in the fifth round) with just overall volume but I was actually kind of discouraged in that moment.”
“Because I was just like damn, I thought I was a somebody and I’m struggling to beat this dude. Then we found out from his team that he was like an amateur world kickboxing champion, he had some skills. I was considering retirement after that (laughs). I was like if the guys are this tough then I’m like ****, I might not belong in this scene. Then I found out he was actually like a top contender, undefeated freakin baller on the BKFC circuit and all of that. I was just like alright, cool.”
BKFC
The first Warren fight saw both of you fight your sophomore bare-knuckle boxing bouts. What are the notable differences with both of you heading into this rematch?
“Tremendous differences, yeah. So on Jared’s end, he went from being a dude that could strike outside the pocket really well but like seemed like he didn’t really like to be in too tight to being a dude that just knows he’s powerful and he just bangs. He trusts his chin, so like he’ll get in there and he’ll exchange with people and he hurts them. So I’m just like yo, that’s what’s up. That’s my style also. I love to exchange with people.”
“You know, sometimes people they’ll crack me really good. You see this awesome look on their face like **** yeah, he’s probably hurt. Then I just come and crack them with like six more. It’s like they almost hesitate after they hit you and I see that with a lot of Jared’s opponents. When he cracks them or they crack him, they’ll almost take like a little second to wait and see if he’s going to drop or not then Jared just ******* cranks him with like six or seven, it’s crazy (laughs).”
Josh Dyer continued, “So we have a lot of similarities in our style now and yeah he’s a great dude. I really like Jared Warren. I would describe us as friends. We’ve been chatting it up for years. He’s a really good dude and I root for him every time that it’s his turn to fight. If he ends up taking the W in this one then **** it, you know. He deserves it, he earned it, he’s a great dude, and I’ll just have to come and get it next time for that trilogy.”
Josh Dyer vs Jared Warren II
You have a one hundred percent finishing rate in your bare-knuckle bouts while Warren has an eighty percent finishing rate in BKFC. Is it safe to say this one ends inside the distance and do you have a defined visualization for how you see this fight ending?
“I can guarantee you it won’t go the distance. Yeah, that’s a bet that I would take (laughs). Yeah, this fight won’t go the distance and I guarantee that because I set a pace that it can’t. Like it can’t happen. I eliminate the distance as being an option because either I’m gonna exhaust myself and get finished or I’m gonna finish you because I’m putting more of a pace than what you are because you’re trying to stretch it out. So one of us is going to get finished. That’s the guarantee that I have when people watch me.”
Josh Dyer continued, “I don’t do decision wins. I won’t, I refuse it. Yeah, it’s going to be a finish, a hundred percent. I do foresee it going my way. I think Jared is a really good fighter but I’m way more creative. So it’s really good. He’s the better technical fighter, I think he’s got the cleaner one-punch knockout power. But I think I’m a little bit too creative for him. So I think he’s gonna get caught.”
