Taylor Starling is not intimidated by current BKFC flyweight champion Christine Ferea, as she showed a few months back.
Starling challenges Ferea for the title in the main event of Saturday’s BKFC 28 event in the challenger’s hometown Albuquerque, N.M.
Starling traveled to Florida before the official announcement of the fight. She wanted to confront Ferea after some barbs on social media from Ferea. Starling got what she wanted and was able to see Ferea with the belt. She walked up to Ferea and took the title. Things got quite chaotic.
” I knew Christine would be there, but she was so excited to keep talking about it s ***, If you want the belt, come get it.’ Starling said to MMA Fighting. I’m going to take the belt. She keeps talking all this smack, why not go and do it? She is not scary of me, but I do think that people can fall for her headgames with other women. I’m not, so I thought, why not just go down to Florida, and if I run into her, I’m going to snatch that belt and cause a commotion.
” I was asking for the title fight and had asked nicely. I have learned through the sport of fighting that sometimes, you just need to make a scene to get it. I just thought, there’s not better way than to show up and cause a scene.”
Currently, the betting odds for Starling’s championship main event are unknown. However, most believe Starling to be an underdog. “Killa Bee” is 3-0 in the BKFC ring, which includes a bloody unanimous decision against Charisa Sigala at KnuckleMania in February 2021, a quick knockout of Cassie Robb five months later at BKFC 19, and a hard-fought decision win against The Ultimate Fighter 30 competitor Hannah Guy this past December at BKFC Fight Night Tampa.
Despite her recent success, many seem to be siding with the 5-1 BKFC veteran Ferea, who captured the belt with a decision win against Britain Hart at KnuckleMania 2 in February — and that’s more than fine with Starling.
“I love it, even though I don’t get enough credit,” Starling said to MMA Fighting. “It motivates me even more, it adds fuel to the fire because I know people are sleeping on me — and that’s because Christine is so good at talking. She’s a good fighter, don’t get me wrong, she’s an amazing fighter, but she has this effect on people where she talks and sells it, and she makes people believe that she’s indestructible.
” I don’t believe that façade, ***. Christine has been beaten, and I know I can take her belt. I can’t wait to prove it — not just to myself, but to everyone that’s doubting me. They will see what I have .”
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Starling acknowledges the importance of fighting in Albuquerque, in front her family and friends. However, she believes that it will also be the perfect setting to make a memorable title switching to close out the card.
“Taylor Starling, ‘And new women’s flyweight champion,'” Starling predicts. It’s there. I feel it. I’m envisioning it every single day. I’ve just been getting better and better, I’ve been working so hard, and everyone’s going to see a totally different Taylor.
“I don’t think people realize how I’ve switched every little bit of my game just for this. I’m not coming up short, I’m just not. It’s going to be ‘And new,’ I promise you.”
