The Cuban Mike Tyson did he had to do. In an almost expected turn of events, Leonardo “El Zambo” Perdomo (with a squeaky clean 6-0-0 record) secured a win in just 47 seconds over Levi “Pitbull” Costa with a jaw-dropping body shot at the  Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on DAZN: Hollywood on December 21. After the fight, among other pleasantries, the Cuban-born heavyweight didn’t forget to pay this thanks to the BKFC’s part-owner Conor McGregor, by showering him with heavy praises. But before we get to that part…

Founded in 2018, BKFC is exactly what it sounds like: Fighters taking on each other gloveless. While the prospect sounds dangerous—fists draw blood faster than gloves—a 2021 concluded that fighting bare-knuckled is actually being less harmful to the brain, and leads to lesser concussion rates. Reportedly, only 2.8% fighters experienced concussions in bare-knuckle boxing, as compared to gloved boxing at a staggering 12.3%.

And while that bare-bloodied fights was as exciting as things can get, what also stole the show was the camaraderie between rapper Lil Pump and Cuban featherweight championship challenger Bryan “El Gallo” Duran, and the latter’s honest revelation about Cubans getting the much-needed support from the BKFC. After Duran secured a first-round TKO over the previously undefeated “Caution” Kasim Ruffin, the rapper asked during the post-fight conference, “How does it feel to represent your city in the sport?”

Duran replied, “The toughest bare-knuckle fighters come out of this city, bro. You all want to accept it or no, Miami got the baddest, especially the Cubans, bro. We taking over the game. In boxing, they were screwing us; they were messing with the Cubans.”

He further added that the $411 million worth BKFC is now providing them with the platform they need. “But now in Bare Knuckle, thanks to Felmann, thanks to Nelson…the Cubans are about to take over…where we come from, the struggle is gonna show bro. We’re hungry, and we’re here to stay. And all the Cubans are sticking together…you will never see Cuband go against each other. We’re gonna help each other, and we’re gonna bring ourselves up like we should’ve done a long time ago.” Surprisingly missing from that list was McGregor’s name who took over part ownership of promotion this year in April, with McGregor Sports and Entertainment. But that doesn’t mean the Mystic Mac forgot to give him a shoutout on social media.

In fact, even Conor McGregor couldn’t help but show his support for the statement made by the BKFC star, confessing that there is truth in what had been claimed. Sharing the clip on his Instagram Story, ‘The Notorious’ wrote, “What an answer! Cuban Revolution in Bare Knuckle! You think it’s sweet in there with these fighters, think again! HIGHEST BOXING LEVEL (Cuban flag) Cuba takeover.” But that’s not all, he also gave a well-earned shout out to Perdomo on the social media platform.

Posting a clip of Perdomo raining down punches on Costa, the former UFC Champion wrote, “6 FIGHTS 6 WINS 6 FIRST ROUND KO’s @El_Zambo_Official_Fighter IS A BARE KNUCKLE PHENOM 😱”. Well, we wouldn’t dare to disagree.

In return, the fighter also posted a clip of his boss, where he was seen saying, “Thank you BKFC. Thank you Conor McGregor. You are the best, man. Thank you for your support, man. Please keep going bro. I like you as a person, man. Thank you.” 

Having said that, The Irishman has proved that he offers his unbridled support for fighters in the promotion with no bias. But this is not the first time Mystic Mac has promoted the elusive Cuban Mike Tyson…

Conor McGregor’s Bareknuckle FC gets the ‘Cuban Mike Tyson’ on its roster

Ever since he lost the civil assault case against Nikita Hand, the former UFC double champion has been trying his best to keep himself busy with his businesses and promotions. One such recent promotion took place a few days ago when he took to his Instagram to hype up Leonardo Perdomo. ‘The Notorious’ shared a video by DAZN that featured Perdomo ahead of his fight against the Brazilian Levi Da Costa at BKFC on DAZN 3.

Sharing the post on his story, McGregor added the caption, “This Saturday on Dazn.” It is worth noting that the BKFC on DAZN 3 was the promotion’s debut on the DAZN streaming service. It also was a special one since it featured one of the best talents to come out of Cuba. To make things more interesting, all his six wins have been via knockout!

But can it be called a newbie’s luck? Well, the undefeated ‘Cuban Mike Tyson’ also has almost 200 fights in his amateur record. So, it seems like BKFC has really become the go-to place if one needs equal opportunity in boxing. But what do you think? Is the boxing federation biased? Let us know in the comments.