Justin Ibarrola upped his BKFC record to 5-0 on Friday at BKFC 66 at the sold-out Seminole Hard Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.
Ibarrola added his fifth win to his resume with a hard-fought unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Justin Street.
Reaching 5-0 is an important milestone in the career of a BKFC fighter, but Ibarrola isn’t satisfied with his performance.
“I view that as a mediocre performance,” he says when asked about his weekend victory. “I don’t like to make excuses, but there was a lot going on behind the scenes in the last few weeks of my camp. I’m not happy, but it’s good that we could overcome a few obstacles and get the win.
“I’ve been in that position plenty of times, so it’s not something that I worry about,” he adds. “At the end of the day, I know what I need to do to secure the victory.”
Ibarrola entered fight night as the No. 3 contender in the stacked BKFC bantamweight division. It’s possible he’s done enough to earn the next shot at Alberto “El Indio” Blas, who defended his BKFC World Bantamweight Championship for the first time with a 53-second TKO over the previously undefeated Ryan Reber in the Main Event of Friday’s action.
Ibarrola’s prediction for a possible showdown with Blas is simple.
“I see myself going the distance with Alberto,” he says.
“I know how to win fights. The way he’s been beating people – landing big shots – isn’t how it’s going to look when we fight. I know how to move around the ring, keep things moving and stay active.
“When he gets in the ring with me, people are going to realize that I’m not the same as other fighters in my division.”
