JR Ridge tests skills with John Dodson for the inaugural BKFC flyweight title at BKFC 48 on August 11th.
The fistic fireworks take place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The broadcast transpires on Fite TV as well as the Bare Knuckle TV app.
Ridge spoke to Dylan Bowker of Bare Knuckle News before the bout. Excerpts from the chat are below.
JR Ridge
After your last fight, you called for both a title shot and a fight with John Dodson. How did you feel getting the bout offer and realizing you’d be getting both of these things?
“Yeah, absolutely, you know. Whenever they started the 125 weight class, I knew I was going to be a top contender to fight for the belt. I didn’t know when but I knew that I was definitely going to be a top contender for the belt. I knew John Dodson was coming in. Of course John is a phenomenal athlete. He’s a big name, he’s done a lot for the combat sports, he’s got a lot of experience obviously, I mean.”
“But yeah, the fact that he comes into the weight class and says that he’s gonna take over 125, of course I’m an athlete. If somebody’s standing in my way or someone’s trying to take my spot, I can’t let that happen. But it was destined for John and I to fight because he’s a top-tier athlete.”
“I just knew that he and I were going to face off, whether if it was for the belt, or whoever had the belt at the time. But luckily, with all the timing of everything, of course John and I are fighting for the belt finally. Now we’re going to have a champion for the weight class.”
BKFC
You’ve been a fixture in the flyweight rankings since they have been established and have more experience in bare knuckle than Dodson. As much as he has BKFC experience and had prolific KOs in MMA, do you think your localized experience here will prove to be the biggest difference-maker in the fight?
“Well not necessarily just because John has done a lot of MMA fights, you know. He’s done a lot of things in the MMA world and I’ve done a lot of things in the sport that I came up in, in Sanshou. I feel like the years of experience behind both of us, it’s just going to be an exciting fight.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that it (won’t) be a boring fight, obviously (laughs). But yeah, I think it’s going to be an amazing night. I think the fans are gonna love it. Think it’s gonna really cement my name into the BKFC flyweight hall of fame. I think it’s going to be that style of fight.”
BKFC 48
What would it mean to you to become the first-ever BKFC champion at flyweight and carve out your place in the bare-knuckle boxing history books at 125 pounds?
“Yeah, you know, it would mean the world to me. It would be something that; any fighter, any athlete that comes into a sport, they want to be the best. Like, we’re not doing it just to be mediocre. We want to do it to be the best, we want to be crowned the champion. For me, to be the first BKFC flyweight champion like that will literally cement my name into the sport of bare-knuckle. Bare knuckle is a newer sport. Obviously, they brought it back, and now it’s the fastest-growing combat sports promotion that I’m signed to.”
“It would definitely be a blessing and I’d be honored. I would love to; there’s many things that I would love to do, but to be able to be crowned the king of the 125 weight class for the first time in BKFC, there’s no words that I have for it.”
JR Ridge vs John Dodson
Any parting thoughts you have as we’re wrapping up here?
“You know, I appreciate you having me on, appreciate the interview. You know I just want to say everybody tune in. This could be possible fight of the year, and I’m about to shock the world. John Dodson is an admirable guy, you know. I like John, I’ve been a fan of John’s all through his career. He’s also done a lot for the smaller weight classes. But he’s had his day in the sun and it’s my time to shine. So everybody tune in and watch the fight.”
