Dylan James Bowker

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

Kirill Grishenko Talks Anatoly Malykhin Interim Title Bout at ONE: Bad Blood

Kirill Grishenko tests skills against Anatoly Malykhin at ONE: Bad Blood for the interim heavyweight championship. This goes down on February 11th at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
I spoke with Grishenko ahead of this prizefight and we touched on several subjects such as: -Doing this interview on his kid's birthday
-Anatoly Malykhin previously testing positive for COVID-19 and the feelings with this fight being postponed a couple of weeks from ONE: Only The Brave
-When this interim Heavyweight Championship opportunity first appeared on Grishenko's radar
-Thoughts on the prominent stylistic tools that Anatoly Malykhin brings to the table
-If this next fight boils down to high-level folkstyle wrestling vs world-class freestyle wrestling
-Thoughts on ONE Championship recently abolishing their fight review collective
-The main takeaways from his last ONE Championship clash against Dustin Joynson
-Grishenko's thoughts on former ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera picking him to win this interim title bout

Bi Nguyen Talks Atomweight Depth, Lin Heqin, and ONE: Bad Blood

Bi Nguyen tests skills with Lin Heqin on February 11th at ONE: Bad Blood. The atomweight affair transpires at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
I spoke with Nguyen ahead of this clash and we touched on several subjects such as: -How Nguyen unwinds when not training
-Taking a brief step away from fighting towards the end of last year to revitalize enthusiasms for her 2022 campaign
-What Bi Nguyen was getting up to during that aforementioned period away from MMA
-Her past appearance on Survivor and TV projects as a cool creative endeavor
-The main sparring partners for Bi Nguyen heading into this next fight
-The growth she was able to showcase in her grappling last time out despite Nguyen not securing the W
-Nguyen being a tenured atomweight within ONE and if that weight category is now the deepest it has ever been
-Other consequential atomweight clashes on ONE: Bad Blood
-If Bi Nguyen checks out other fights of divisional importance during events she's competing on
-Thoughts on the upcoming Angela Lee vs Stamp Fairtex ONE Atomweight title fight
-The mutual appreciation between fighters throwing down in the context of Nguyen's fight with Stamp
-Being featured in Modern Women Magazine and being a good role model
-ONE Championship instantiating 50k performance bonuses and how that fits Bi Nguyen's style well
-If there's a detriment in a certain regard to having such an exciting style whereby you're facing all the killers in the division sequentially
-The strong personality that her harsh upbringing galvanized in her for MMA
-Being a longtime ONE fighter and the feelings of seeing that mutual growth with her as well as the company overall
-Using one's platform for great altruistic efforts
-Thoughts on the main stylistic proclivities of Lin Heqin leading into ONE: Bad Blood
-Fighting on multiple pre-taped ONE Championship cards, the dynamics with that, and being back to having her bout live broadcasted for this one
-What music that Nguyen enjoys