Photo via Bareknuckle.tv
Tom Shoaff on Luis Palomino “Stylistically, I am a nightmare for him”
Tom Shoaff challenges Luis Palomino for his lightweight world title at BKFC 34 on December 3rd.
Shoaff appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts once again and covered several subjects before this high-stakes fight. Excerpts from our conversation are below.
Tom Shoaff
Fighting the number one pound-for-pound ranked fighter in BKFC
“I think one, it’s probably the biggest and most important thing that I need to recognize going into this fight is that it’s not just any fight. This guy is recognized by the majority of the community as pound-for-pound number one. So that is thrilling for me, it is exciting for me. But it is also something that I need to take very seriously. I would also like to touch back on kind of what we were talking about earlier and having the time off. The consistent back and forth with the contracts. It really worked out to my benefit because I had started training so long ago.”
“I wanted to be ready for a September card. Then that didn’t happen and then that progressively kept getting pushed back. So, I was progressively training and getting better. Because I knew that I was going to have to be better. When you’re in a situation where you’re going to fight the guy who’s the best in the world, you better come with your A-game. If you don’t, you are sorely, sorely mistaken to think it’s going to go your way.”
BKFC 34
The positive attributes and tactical holes that Shoaff sees in Palomino’s game
“I think that Luis is incredibly athletic, especially for his age. I think that he moves very well. He utilizes that movement and that athleticism to his advantage. I also feel like he has no issues getting into a; we’ll call it a dog fight. But only when he feels like he’s the bigger person. One of the beautiful things about me is not only am I the bigger, longer person but I consistently embrace the dog fight. I have no issue tracing you down and tracking you down. I much prefer to move forward when I fight than backward.”
“Not to say that I can’t fight backward but I much prefer to move forward. So I think stylistically, I am a nightmare for him. I think my length, my footwork, my constant pressure, and my punch output is just going to be too much for him. He’s just going to have to prove me wrong… I’ve watched his fights, I’ve watched his footage, and he’s an incredibly talented guy. There is no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. People wouldn’t call him the pound-for-pound number one if that wasn’t the case. But I’m pretty sure that I can beat him.”
Watch the FREE BKFC 34 preliminary fights beginning at 7pm ET on Saturday, December 3 below:
Order and watch BKFC 34 pay-per-view beginning at 8pm ET for $19.99 below:
