The BKFC made major signings last week, one of whom was former UFC and Bellator title challenger Yoel Romero. Romero has been seen as a welcome edition to the roster, with hope he will fit in well with the bare-knuckle style.
What may have gone under the radar, however, is that Romero had a run in with a man who is no longer on the BKFC roster as of last month -- and that incident could have had a bad ending for Romero.
Last week, the YouTube account Ragdoll MMA released a video taking a look into former BKFC bantamweight champion Alberto Blas' release from the promotion, which occurred on June 26.
In a statement BKFC President David Feldman announced that "a pattern of unprofessional behavior outside of competition" led the promotion to strip Blas of the bantamweight title and release him.
"There were multiple infractions that went into this decision," the statement read. "We wish him well in his future endeavors."
Former BKFC Champion Alberto Blas Acquitted Of Second-Degree Murder After Stabbing Recent BKFC Signee Yoel Romero
While not directly mentioned by BKFC, one of the incidents in question involved a confrontation with Romero that saw him stab the "The Soldier of God" with a samurai sword in January 2022.
As explained by an anonymous source in the video, Blas and Romero had gotten into a verbal confrontation at the American Top Team gym. In the parking lot, Blas attempted to strike Romero with his car before retrieving a samurai sword from his trunk. He used the sword to reportedly strike Romero in the arms and hands.
Blas was charged in Florida on one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of battery. Blas, however, was found not guilty on both charges. While the charges were dropped in 2024, a stay-away order of protection one month after the incident ordered Blas not to be in contact with the victim -- whose named is listed on the document as Romero.
Interestingly, as the video mentions, this press release from BKFC announcing Blas' release came out hours after rival promotion Bare-Knuckle Boxing announced they had signed Blas to a multi-fight deal.
BKB President Mike Vasquez recently told MMA News that he questions the nature of Feldman's press release, since it did not come out until after BKB signed Blas. He furthermore claimed that several former BKFC fighters have messaged him, claiming the promotion did not pay fighters on time.
Blas put out his own statement, claiming "While my record is not spotless, I stand by my reputation and wish to call this out for what it is: an insecure individual trying to save face while the company he built and subsequently sold off continues to spiral downward."