TLDR
- Alberto Blas predicted Conor McGregor would face a dramatic outcome after five years away from fighting
- Blas said he felt sad watching McGregor’s UFC 329 return fight end the way it did
- The bare knuckle champion believes extended layoffs lead to extreme outcomes in one or two rounds
- McGregor nicknamed Blas ‘The Cuban Flash’ and supported his move from BKFC to BKB
- Blas defends his BKB super featherweight title against Brandon Birr on August 29th in Miami
Sources: bjpenn.com | sports.yahoo.com
A bare knuckle boxing champion with ties to Conor McGregor says he felt sad watching the Irishman’s return fight but wasn’t surprised by how it ended. Alberto Blas, who holds the BKB Police Gazette diamond super featherweight crown, shared his thoughts on McGregor’s competitive comeback at UFC 329 in July.
Blas told Bare Knuckle Bowker that he anticipated something dramatic would happen after such a long break from competition. “When you fight and you stay so long not fighting for five year, something going to happen,” Blas said.
The Cuban fighter, nicknamed ‘The Cuban Flash’ by McGregor himself, explained his emotional reaction to watching the fight. “I see the fight and I feel sad. I feel sad because I don’t want the fight to finish like that,” Blas stated.
McGregor returned to MMA competition in July after a five-year absence from the sport. His previous fight was in 2021, when he suffered one of the most dramatic injuries in mixed martial arts history.
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Extended Layoffs Lead to Extreme Outcomes
Blas predicted that fighters returning after long breaks typically experience one of two dramatic outcomes. “Maybe or you win in one or two round. Or you can lose in one or two round,” he explained about the typical scenarios for comebacks.
The bare knuckle champion emphasized that McGregor’s injury was a natural consequence of the extended time away. “When you stay almost half a decade [with] no fight or not do nothing, something [was] going to happen, for sure,” Blas said.
Blas has his own connection to McGregor beyond just the nickname. One of the most widely circulated images of Blas shows him holding BKFC gold while standing next to ‘The Notorious’ at a previous event.
McGregor also publicly supported Blas when the fighter made a controversial move between bare knuckle promotions. The former two-division UFC champion liked a social media post that appeared to support Blas’ decision to leave BKFC for BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing while still holding the BKFC bantamweight title.
Blas Defends Title at BKB 58
Blas captured the BKFC bantamweight belt and successfully defended it before signing with BKB. He vacated the BKFC crown without losing it in the ring when he made the switch to the competing promotion.
In his first BKB fight, Blas defeated Harold McQueen to capture the super featherweight crown. The victory made him a multi-promotion champion in bare knuckle boxing.
Blas will defend his BKB Police Gazette diamond super featherweight title against former BKB featherweight champion Brandon Birr. The fight is scheduled for BKB 58 in Miami on August 29th.
