“Your Local Ninja” Tom Shoaff returned to the BKFC Circle at BKFC 17 last night with a vengeance, earning a TKO victory over Nathan Mitchell at 1:38 of the first round. A straight right hand sent a tooth flying out of Mitchell’s mouth, clearly affecting the fighter and spelling the beginning of the end of the fight. A flurry of punches from Shoaff sent Mitchell to the canvas, where the referee called the fight before reaching a ten-count.
“I feel great, man. It went a little faster than we had expected, you know. We were expecting to have a little more of a longer, more drawn-out fight tonight, but I was fortunate to be able to go out there and get it done in the first round.” Shoaff told MMA Sucka.
Tom Shoaff Working Towards Title Shot at 155
Tom Shoaff made it clear in pre-fight interviews that his return to the 155-pound division is not just a one-off event. He told reporters that he felt like the division is his more natural weight class, and that he felt the size disadvantage in his losses up a weight class in his prior two fights. If his performance at BKFC 17 is any indication, it looks like the Oklahoman made the right choice.
- Looking ahead, Shoaff knows that he still has work to do to get in the sights of the champion at 155 pounds, Luis Palomino, who is set to defend his title Tyler Goodjohn at BKFC 18.
“I’m trying to build my way up the rankings, man. I want to get a title shot soon. So, I know that I’m not going to be able to just jump right into a title shot against Luis Palomino. I got to work my way up, I got to get there. So next for Tom is somebody who’s fought Luis before and lost, so I can go out there and beat the brakes off of them worse than [Palomino] did, and get my title shot,” said Shoaff.
There’s three fighters that Palomino has defeated under the BKFC banner: Elvin Leon Brito, Isaac Vallie-Flagg, and Jim Alers. None of those fighters currently have a fight scheduled, and are each ranked in the unofficial BKFC rankings. All of those fighters seem to always be down for a good scrap, so a fight against fan favorite Shoaff makes sense for any of them.
Tom Shoaff Defends a Different Title Against New Challenger
One of Tom Shoaff’s most recognizable features among BKFC fans is his curled mustache. In fact, the BKFC 17 broadcast declared that he has the “best mustache in BKFC”. However, the night brought a new contender to this title in co-main event participant Mike Richman, who picked up a TKO win over Marcel Stamps. While many fans were impressed, Shoaff was not quite there.
“He can try [to take the “best mustache in BKFC” title], but I don’t think it’s going to work out for him. This mustache is pretty solid, man. I’ve been having it for a long time. And as far as I’m concerned, with the exception of John O’Sullivan, I was the first. So everybody’s going to be following after me, and that’s just unfortunate for them. Plain and simple.”
