Bekhzod Usmonov shocked the combat sports world on Friday at BKFC Fight Night: Albuquerque.
At the sold-out Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, NM, the unranked Usmonov needed just 55 seconds to stop Keith Richardson, the No. 1 contender in the stacked BKFC bantamweight division, in the night’s highly anticipated Main Event, LIVE globally on The BKFC App.
BKFC fans may have been shocked to see the under-the-radar Usmonov topple the division’s former World Champion, but the proud Tajikistan product wasn’t surprised.
“There were definitely a lot of people underestimating me heading into this fight, but I’m glad that I could defy their expectations — I knew all along what was going to happen,” he says with a smile.
“I’m upset that Keith had to take a lot of damage in the fight, but everything went as we had planned it.”
Now, Usmonov has his sights set on Alberto “El Indio” Blas, the BKFC bantamweight division’s undefeated World Champion. Usmonov expects nothing less than a third straight stoppage victory against Blas, who’s so far made light work of his competition in the Squared Circle.
“That’s going to be a great fight,” he says.
“I’m going to finish him. I’m not sure how I’m going to finish him yet (laughs), but I’ll be ready for the toughest fight he can give me. That’s what I want.”
