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Bare Knuckle FC 18 is on June 26 and marks yet another promising card from the top bare knuckle boxing promotion in the world right now. On that card, Jake Bostwick makes his return and he has a special opponent to get at: Julian Lane. Despite all the memes surrounding Lane’s appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, Bostwick wants everyone to know that he, too, wants to bang bro.
This was a fight Bostwick and his team were after from the jump. They felt that stylistically, Jake Bostwick and Julian Lane fighting is the premier Bare Knuckle FC fight. He feels that it exemplifies what bare knuckle boxing is all about.
“Honestly, we were aiming for that because the matchup is just amazing. I just stylistically, the way it looks, our images, everything is just an absolute banger for sure. He likes to bang and so do I. I’m super excited to get in the pocket with him and take his chin off.”
Jake Bostwick doesn’t expect anything else than spectacular at BKFC 18. And he also feels he will be on the winning end of said spectacle. While he’s not taking Lane for granted, Bostwick feels he is the best he’s ever been before a fight.
“At the end of the day, I see myself knocking him out in the first round. I’m too focused, I’m ready. Everything’s on check; my weight’s on check, I’m ready to bang, son, trust me.”
Conditioning for bare knuckle boxing is a bit different from traditional boxing or MMA. Bostwick trains his knuckles and wrists to take a bit more punishment.
“I hit the bag a lot with no gloves. Two or three times a week, even if I do some mits or some bag work, I always finish up with five or six rounds with no gloves on. I still wrap my wrists up, just to give my wrist some extra support. I’ve been doing this many, many years, my hands are solid.”
Bare Knuckle has exploded in popularity. With signing of fighters like Paige VanZant and the likes, the sport is only growing. Jake Bostwick says the public interest in the sport doesn’t surprise him and that it all boils down to wanting to be entertained.
“You know what, I’m not surprised. I think it took a few people to understand that it’s quite a graphic sport. But it’s 100% entertainment. I think that’s what people want to see at the end of the day. Let’s get it straight, we’re the cherry on the top right now. 18 events in and it’s as big as it is right now, I can’t imagine it in in 100 events time. To be part of the roster and helping build the company is awesome. It’s awesome to be a part of it and be a face of the company. Myself, Lombard, Thiago Alves, everyone that’s on the fight card is what creates the fight card.”
At the end of the day, there’s a market for bare knuckle boxing and the fighters are absolutely loving it. They turn to bare knuckle boxing after their primary fighting careers are over and do something they can enjoy.
“There obviously will be people that turn their nose up and won’t like it. But at the end of the day, we signed the contract, we want to do it. You don’t have to watch it.”
Jake Bostwick and Jake Paul
Jake Paul has taken the boxing world by storm. Jake Bostwick had the opportunity to spend a good amount of rounds training with Jake Paul ahead of his last bout with Ben Askren. While many criticize Paul for taking advantage of the business side of boxing and not being a real boxer, Bostwick says that is simply not true.
“The dude can box, mate. He can box. I’ve said it again, at the end of the day, the dude can box. I have sparred with many people in my time. I’m not going to lie, he was awkward work. I found him very awkward. He was very good with his range, super good with his range. He is a big guy. Me, I’m coming back down to ’75, it’s a bit realistic to me. The guy is big. 6 foot, 6 plus. He uses his jab very well, his jab is master. He’s got a good team behind him, he’s putting the work in. He ain’t got the financial stress. The dude’s just training and living that life. He’s got the best behind him. They can talk as much shit as they like, the dude can fight. I banged him with some clean shots, he hit me with some clean shots. The dude just stands in the pocket and gets back to his game. The dude can work. Woodley’s going to have a problem there.”
Bostwick said that while he and Tyron Woodley were teammates under First Round Management, he finds it hard to give the edge to the former UFC champion in the upcoming fight. With the leaps and bounds Jake Paul is improving and the size difference, he has to go with Paul in the upcoming fight.
But, circling back around to BKFC 18, Jake Bostwick says this fight is one you don’t want to miss. While the entire card is good, he believes he and Lane are prone to explode in this fight and to give the fans something really special.
“Bro, listen. Because I’m going to bang, bro. I am super excited. It’s the most dialed in mentally and physically I’ve been. I’ve got a lot of eyes on me. I know what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to go conquer. If you want to go see fireworks, this is the one.”
One thing is for sure, whatever happens with Jake Bostwick and Julian Lane at BKFC 18, it is sure to be fireworks. If you plan on tuning in, this is the fight you don’t want to miss.
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Check out our previous interview with Jake Bostwick below!
Jake Bostwick: The Brutal One
After a six round war, Jake Bostwick is all about the Bare Knuckle FC life. In this interview we talk about his BKFC debut and more.
