Elvin Brito continues push to bring Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship to Puerto Rico
Updated: Jul 16, 2020
Elvin "El Bandido" Brito returns to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship squared circle for a fourth time when he meets hard-hitting Kaleb Harris at BKFC 11 in Oxford, Mississippi, July 24.
Boasting a 1-2 record with the world's most prominent bare knuckle promotion, the 34-year-old fighter continues to push towards helping to bring an event to his native country of Puerto Rico.
"I know David Feldman (President of Bare Knuckle FC) had expressed interest in bringing Bare Knuckle FC to Puerto Rico," Brito said.
"El Bandido" said that he spoke with the athletic commission there and they too have expressed interest in the sport, but that more works still needs to be done before BKFC heads to the Caribbean island.
"Obviously with what it is going on in the world right now it is hard, but I would love to help bring bare knuckle to Puerto Rico," Brito said. "There's some tough, scrappy fighters here. It would be good to have some local guys on the card too.
"I just have to do my part. Obviously I want to go in there and get a win, solidify my position in bare knuckle," Brito said of his July 24 fight against Kaleb Harris. "But yeah, I would love to see Bare Knuckle FC in Puerto Rico one day."
While the COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily brought sports to a screeching halt, Brito was one of many fighters who continued to press on.
"Where there's a will, there's a way," Brito said about training during the coronavirus fears that forced gyms to temporarily close their doors. "We were a little worried about that when it first happened. But then, literally within a week my coach called me and said 'Hey, I found a place we can train at, we'll have all our equipment there. It's far off in the mountains." We didn't have to worry about anybody. We were able to get some really good training in so no, the pandemic hasn't affected my training. In fact, I feel stronger than I have in a while. I'm looking forward to going out there and showing all the work I've been putting in. The only way it has affected me is I am not able to spar as frequently as I normally do because a lot of boxing gyms are just now starting to open back up. But we still managed to have training partners come visit or I go to them. Tomorrow I'll take a little trip to the San Juan area to get some sparring in, maybe 12 rounds before I come back home."
The original main event for this upcoming BKFC 11 card was supposed to be Jim Alers vs. Luis Palomino, however Alers pulled out of the card as a precaution when training partners tested positive for COVID. Isaac Vallie-Flagg saved the event by stepping into the fight on just two weeks notice.
"Now that Jim Alers is out, my fight against Kaleb Harris is the unofficial main event," Brito jokingly says as he laughs.
"I'm looking forward to it. Kaleb Harris is an extremely tough opponent. I expect a good scrap. He's not going to lay down for anybody. We're both coming off losses at 155-pounds in the tournament. We both came up short, we both want it. I think it is a good way for both of us to start climbing back up the ranks again, either at 155-pounds again or for the 165-pound belt which is vacant now. I'm going to roll with the punches and see where it takes me. Right now I'm 0-2 at 155 and 1-0 at 165, so I'm going back up to 165. I want to go out there and prove that I belong.
"Yes, this is prize fighting, but this one isn't about the money for me. I'm trying to carve my place in the sport and I want to be here for a long time."
