Alan Belcher vows to KO Frank Tate within a minute in ‘BKFC Jackson 2’ main event: “That’s the only way it goes down”

Alan Belcher is set to headline his first BKFC event since coming out of retirement.

After Belcher dropped a technical decision to Michael Bisping at UFC 159 in 2013, he proceeded to retire from the sport due to an eye injury he sustained in the fight. After years away from the fight game, ‘The Talent’ decided to sign on with BKFC in 2021, a move which he says needed to happen.

“I’m 36, 37-years-old and I realized if I’m ever going to fight again it needs to be now like I can’t wait any longer,” Belcher said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “A string of events led up to me and David Feldman negotiating and coming up with a deal to come into BKFC.”

Not only did Belcher return to fighting, but he did so at heavyweight, this after competing at middleweight for most of his early career. According to the now 38-year-old, he says he spent his time off becoming a bodybuilder and doing strength training which got him shredded and allowed him to fight at heavyweight.

“I really got into strength training and bodybuilding. About four or five years were straight working on things related to strength and bodybuilding,” Belcher explained. “I got big, like the biggest I got was 260 and I was very lean and shredded. I’ve been 260 fat before, so I’ve carried a lot of different weights.”

In his BKFC debut, Belcher got a decision win over Tony Lopez and then followed it up with a first-round KO win over Bobo O’Bannon in January. Belcher thought he could’ve gotten a title shot after his last win, but he’s excited to headline his first card on Friday night.

“I was very excited about that. These last couple of fights, I could’ve had a title shot, probably this fight could be a title shot,” Belcher said. “I’m just trying to be patient but when this opportunity came up to headline I knew the fight after this is a title shot. Everything is coming together, it’s all pointing to me in the direction of the bare knuckle belt.”

When Belcher steps into the squared circle on Friday, he will face the 46-year-old Frank Tate who’s coming off a massive KO win over Joey Beltran.

“As soon as that fight was done, now Tate has earned his spot. After the fight I had with Bobo, Frank got into the ring and wanted to fight me,” Belcher said. “My response was like well of course you do. I have a name, I’m knocking people out, and that would be really good for you but he hasn’t earned it. Now, he has earned it and this is the right fight.”

Although Tate is coming off a massive win, Alan Belcher doesn’t see this fight going well for him. He plans to pressure the 46-year-old from the get-go and get the KO early as he believes it will happen in the first minute.

“I’m going to knock out Frank very early, that’s the only way it goes down. If I don’t knock him out early it gets worse as the fight goes on,” Belcher said. “But, I don’t see it lasting long, I’m going right off the starting line and going right at him hard and finding my range and getting my flow and finding the knockout within the first minute.”

If Belcher gets the KO in the first minute as he says he believes he will fight for the BKFC heavyweight title next time out.

“Yes, 100 percent. Who else?,” Belcher concluded.

Do you think Alan Belcher will KO Frank Tate at ‘BKFC Jackson 2’?