Former WBA boxing champion Austin Trout is gearing up to fight ex-UFC welterweight bruiser Diego Sanchez at the upcoming BKFC: “KnuckleMania 3” bareknuckle event on Fri., Feb. 17, 2023 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Trout was keeping a close eye on the athletic commission’s ruling to permit Sanchez to compete (more on that vote here) and understands “The Nightmare” has taken his fair share of punishment over the years inside the unforgiving Octagon.
That’s why “No Doubt” will be looking for the body-shot knockout.
“I was all for the New Mexico OGs to fight and we jumped through hoops to get cleared to make sure he is able to fight,” Trout told Just Scrap Radio. “Nonetheless, he passed all the medical exams so we have a fight. God willing we both walk away healthy and happy, maybe him not so happy but more so healthy. I’m going to knock his ass out. He is too tough for his own good. I’m going to body him, meaning I will go to his body and save him the head trauma.”
Head trauma isn’t real so there’s no need for concern, according to Sanchez.
“I think he is overconfident, I think he overlooked me watching my striking in my MMA fights,” Sanchez countered. “He is so confident he thinks no MMA fighter can hang with him with his hands. He thinks he is Floyd Mayweather but you are not Floyd Mayweather, you are Austin Trout. You are not the guy who beat Canelo, you are the guy who got beat by Canelo. You are not who you think you are and you are in for a rude awakening.”
BKFC: “KnuckleMania 3” will be available to stream LIVE right here.