Nathan Rivera was either going to get booked or blocked when he slid into the DMs of BKFC Matchmaker Nate Shook.
“I sent my highlights, I said that all of my wins are by first-round knockout, and I told him that I’d be a really good fit for BKFC,” the 26-year-old Atlanta featherweight says.
“I said that I hope I don’t come off as disrespectful, but at the same time I knew that closed mouths don’t get fed, so I sent the message – a hail mary.”
For the record, the best route that a young fighter can take to the BKFC Squared Circle is through BKFC Tryouts and the BKFC Prospect Series. But Rivera’s gamble paid off, and he made his bare knuckle debut against Jaymes Hyder at BKFC 53 in November.
“I won by first-round KO,” he says, “and the rest is history.”
History in the making, actually.
Rivera looks to improve to 2-0 with a second straight first-round finish against the debuting Dustin “Elmo” Garrett on Friday in Manassas, VA, LIVE on The BKFC App.
Rivera isn’t looking past Garrett, but he plans on covering a lot of ground this year in the loaded BKFC featherweight division.
“I don’t fight with my face; I really pride myself on my defense and it shows in my fights,” Rivera says. “I only need a good month to let my hands recover, then I’m good to go again. I’m always in camp and I just ramp it up when I have a fight. I’d like to fight four or five times this year for BKFC.
“With my fighting style, my work ethic and the way I carry myself, I think I can really go far with BKFC.”
