Former two-time bantamweight title challenger Ryan Reber has offered his insights into the upcoming BKFC 89 championship clash between Jamel Herring and Nate Maness. The vacant bantamweight title will be on the line on May 22nd.
Reber, who is set to compete against former BKB Bare Knuckle title challenger Joshua Oxendine at BKFC Clearwater on the same night, sees his upcoming fight as a potential stepping stone to a title shot. He expressed his desire to face the winner of the Herring vs. Maness bout.
“When I get Joshua Oxendine out of the way, I’d hope they’d put me up against the winner of Jamel Herring versus Nate Maness. Either of those fights intrigues me because they are decorated fighters. It’s not like fighting someone who just came up through the rankings; it’s facing a fighter with a truly complete resume. Taking out a guy like that, to me, is more valuable than a world title, and then winning the world title on top of it.”
“It’s like a double whammy, and they have everything to lose. You’re losing to someone like me who might have more bare-knuckle experience but not necessarily more experience in their overall combat career. Nate was a highly decorated UFC fighter, and Herring was a highly decorated boxer – that’s exactly what I want.”
Reber further elaborated on how a victory over Oxendine could propel him into a title contention opportunity, stating, “That would definitely be something I’d be gunning for next. I’m going to pay attention, and it’s kind of the same boat. You look at Herring, he’s 1-0. Then you look at Nate, he hasn’t even had a fight at 135 yet. He fought Tyler Randall, who was a 125er. I’ll give him that fight, of course, because a fight is a fight, but it’s not an overly impressive win. Those guys got that chance because of who they are outside of bare-knuckle sport.”
