Dylan James Bowker

Reinier de Ridder on Kiamrian Abbasov title defense at ONE: Full Circle

Reinier de Ridder defends his ONE middleweight world title against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: Full Circle. This transpires at Singapore Indoor Stadium on February 25th.
I spoke with RDR ahead of this title defense against the reigning ONE welterweight world champion. We touched on several subjects such as: -Finally getting a fight locked in after a lengthy run of callouts on social media
-It not being that long ago that de Ridder was pursuing dual division champ status and his insights into how Abbasov might be feeling as he pursues that same goal now
-ONE: Full Circle seeming like a middleweight showcase card with the Aung La N Sang and Vitaly Bigdash are having their trilogy and then David Branch and Leandro Ataides on the event
-Leandro Ataides being a past opponent, their foray as training partners, and where things are at now
-RDR's thoughts on the newly instantiated performance bonuses ONE Championship established
-The work had at Combat Brothers BJJ and MMA
-Getting in sparring work with Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi ahead of their respective championship bouts later this month
-Mousasi and de Ridder defending their middleweight world titles on the same day and how cool that is
-A possible submission grappling Super Fight under the ONE Championship banner being in the works for de Ridder
-The stylistic proclivities that Reinier de Ridder sees in Kiamrian Abbasov
-If there is an ideal strength of schedule for this year
-The saying Stay Humble You Fucks and how that could potentially become a walkout T/ general catchphrase
-Wim Hof informing his workouts and RDR's Roy Jones Jr music appreciation

Aung La N Sang talks Vitaly Bigdash rubber match at ONE: Full Circle

Aung La N Sang tests skills with Vitaly Bigdash in a rubber match at ONE: Full Circle. This high-stakes middleweight matchup takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium on February 25th.
I spoke with N Sang ahead of this fight and we touched on several subjects such as: -This rubber match being canceled before and if the Bigdash trilogy will only feel real once in the Circle
-The move to Florida and subsequent hard work all culminating in this moment
-The mutual respect at the nucleus of this tiebreaker affair
-The first two fights being five years ago and how the complexion of this contest differs
-The sparring partners out of Sanford MMA who present good looks for fighting Bigdash here
-Strong training relationships with fighters outside of his weight class ie/ former ONE dual division champ Martin Nguyen
-This card seeming like a middleweight showcase with Reinier de Ridder defending the ONE belt against Kiamrian Abbasov and Leandro Ataides vs David Branch
-How three or four fights would be ideal this calendar year
-ONE Championship instantiating 50k bonuses and how Aung La N Sang feels about that
-The DJ vs Rodtang hybrid rules bout and if N Sang would do a mixed contest with MMA and Lethwei rules
-How Lethwei competition would resonate on the level of being a Myanmar descendant
-The heartbreaking situation back in Myanmar still raging on
-N Sang's last KO win offering a glimmer of hope for a brief period
-His recent anniversary in ONE Championship and the mutual growth with fighter and promotion by proxy
-His tenure as a beekeeper and N Sang's intent to return to doing that at some point
-The backstory on why Tial Thang is coming hard

Mark Striegl talks fighting Chas Skelly in Skelly retirement bout

Mark Striegl tests skills with Chas Skelly at UFC Fight Night: Walker vs Hill. This goes down on February 19th and emanates from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
I spoke with Striegl prior to this prizefight and we touched on several subjects such as: -His present training camp location
-The primary reasons for Mark Striegl wanting to train over at The MMA Lab
-Getting in past work in Baguio City where Manny Pacquiao used to train
-Meeting Manny Pacquiao at one point and giving him signed ONE Championship gloves
-Thoughts on fighting Chas Kelly and the dynamic with this being Skelly's retirement fight
-Rehabilitation techniques following strenuous training sessions
-Staying steadily ready with the martial arts as a lifestyle ethos
-Still wanting a Sambo Gold Medal while concurrently competing in the UFC
-If Striegl has spoken with certain people in the UFC about those Sambo endeavors
-If Sambo is the most multifaceted base discipline for MMA and if Striegl agrees with that characterization
-If the beard of Mark Striegel will come back for this next one

Kyran Cameron on lightweight move and title bid at BFL 71

Kyran Cameron tests skills with Dario Sinagoga for the interim lightweight title at BFL 71. This Battlefield Fight League clash emanates from Vancouver, British Columbia on March 10th and broadcasts via UFC Fight Pass.
I spoke with Cameron prior to this prizefight (when the card was initially scheduled for February 17th).
We touched on several subjects such as: -The Parabellum MMA lineage continuing with Aegis MMA where Cameron trains
-Aegis MMA and cross-training with other gyms bringing together elite fighters throughout Ontario
-Sharing the card with teammate Bobby Poulter and the residual momentum that comes with that
-Cameron's BFL 67 welterweight title bid and his switch to lightweight this time out
-This being the first go-around at lightweight following previous efforts at welterweight and middleweight and training camp amendments in this particular one
-If there's an ideal strength of schedule Cameron hopes to have for 2022
-What a quote-unquote next step would represent in the career of Kyran Cameron
-BFL having a bit of a defined feeder league dynamic to UFC by virtue of being on UFC Fight Pass
-Thoughts on Dario Sinagoga, training connectivity with Sinagoga's last opponent Zack Powell, and if that has any carryover leading into this clash
-If Cameron is noticing this divisional switch is providing a lot of great opportunities to manage the range and really utilize his frame
-Kyran Cameron having a trading card made of him recently via Last of the Hards
-Cameron's previous job delivering medical cannabis
-Doing security work at luxury hotels and some of the experiences with that gig

Sean O’Connell Talks 2022 PFL Season, Play by Play Work, and More

Sean O'Connell is a former PFL light heavyweight champion and now calls the action for the PFL hopefuls of the modern-day. 
I spoke with O'Connell regarding the looming 2022 PFL season and we touched on several subjects such as: -That last season in particular seeing a huge leap in PFL's domestic profile
-The concept of PFL UK and PFL Africa ideally coming to fruition sooner than later
-The PFL Challenger Series providing an opportunity for newer fighters to garner a PFL contract
-The broadcast minded and production components of the PFL Challenger series
-O'Connell's radio experience creating a more fluid transition into his play by play role
-The intimate localized insights of a former PFL champion documenting the journeys of all these fighters from the broadcast booth
-The compounding sense of enjoyment as the years go on from his PFL championship win
-His PFL playoffs beard possibly making a comeback and potential submission grappling pursuits
-His rapport with Kayla Harrison and the Mean Gene-Hulk Hogan vibe they give off
-If there's any particular aspect of this looming 2022 PFL season that is especially catching O'Connell's intrigue
-How this is such a great time to be a PFL fan

Bobby Poulter Talks BFL 71 Bout, His Trading Card, and More

Bobby Poulter tests skills with Saeid Mirzaei at BFL 71 on February 17th. This welterweight bout emanates from Harbour Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, and broadcasts on UFC Fight Pass.
I spoke with Poulter ahead of this contest and we covered multiple topics like: -The permanence of the Aegis MMA space now and the continuation of the Parabellum legacy
-The pandemic orienting Poulter's thoughts to a tenure as a gym owner
-Bobby Poulter's pro debut trading card made via Last of the Hards
-The emphatic nature of his last fight at BFL 68 and thoughts on that performance
-Dealing with rampant infections in the latter portion of 2021
-Looking to contend for regional hardware should he get the desired outcome in the next bout
-The established 170-pound titleholder being the biggest motivating factor in signing with BFL
-The curious confluence of Mirzaei's bout cancellations lately considering the tremendous potential
-If the mentality going into this bout is complicated with all variables considered

Victor Henry on UFC Debut, Being in an Amon Amarth Video, and More

Victor Henry bested Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision at UFC 270 which went down on January 22nd.
I spoke with Henry after his Octagon debut and we touched on several subjects such as: -Setting a record amount of significant strikes, with 315, for a three-round bantamweight encounter in UFC history per SportsKeeda
-Being the biggest betting underdog on the card and the oftentimes UFC-centric focus in media coverage
-Henry's entrance music from Goatwhore for his UFC debut
-Going with Josh Barnett to see Every Time I Die shows and thoughts on the band breaking up
-ETID guitarist Andy Williams and Josh Barnett's pro wrestling ties in the context of if Henry would ever try pro wrestling
-If his positional awareness with amateur wrestling would facilitate a smooth transition to pro wrestling compared to a layman
-Being in an Amon Amarth music video with Josh Barnett
-American Top Team and UWFUSA training work

Dustin Joynson on Hugo Cunha, ONE: Bad Blood, and Sophomore ONE Bout

Dustin Joynson clashes with Hugo Cunha at ONE: Bad Blood on February 11th. This heavyweight collision goes down at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
I spoke with Joynson ahead of this bout and we touched on several subjects such as: -How the last Singapore trip compared to the tumultuous first trip out there
-ONE Championship looking to put on shows in the United States
-What Joynson does to occupy the time during those long Singapore flights
-The feelings from the ONE Championship debut against Kirill Grishenko
-How many had the perception that Joynson introduced himself to the heavyweight ranks even in defeat
-If it's difficult to integrate facets of the ONE global ruleset into his training processes
-Joynson's unique choice for his corner this time out
-Thoughts on the main stylistic proclivities of Hugo Cunha leading into ONE: Bad Blood
-Thoughts on the Kirill Grishenko vs Anatoly Malykhin interim title bout in the context of Joynson's placement in the heavyweight hierarchy
-Unwinding at the shooting range when not training
-If Joynson will break out the 2000 Triple H theme song again for his entrance into the ONE Circle here