Dylan James Bowker

Bibiano Fernandes Talks John Lineker at One: Bad Blood and One Championship Legacy

Bibiano Fernandes defends his bantamweight world championship against John Lineker in the main event of ONE: Bad Blood. This transpires on February 11th from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
I spoke with Fernandes ahead of this clash and we touched on several subjects such as: -The relief of getting back after a two and a half year layoff
-The excitement of this being Bibiano Fernandes' first opponent in close to four years that isn't Kevin Belingon
-Where John Lineker ranks on the stacked resume of Bibiano Fernandes
-Where all the trash talk began leading into this ONE: Bad Blood title clash
-December historically being a big month for Bibiano Fernandes competitively and the epic VTRs
-Seeing possible prospects in other weight categories after this bantamweight title defense
-Past work at AMC Pankration and also Revolution Martial Arts 
-The pandemic hindering his ability to visit his home country of Brazil for a while now
-Working with guys like Jeremy Kennedy and Jared Revel; Fernandes having such a strong presence in Canada and inspiring so many young fighters 
-Being the quintessential martial artist who is oriented to a respect minded approach
-Our mutual appreciation for Fedor and his legacy
-Living in the jungle and overcoming malaria as a kid with the context of how amazing it is for Bibiano Fernandes to give his son such a great life now
-If we could see a second-generation MMA competitor in the Fernandes family
-If there's any desire for Bibiano Fernandes to be in a bantamweight World Grand Prix within ONE Championship
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Mike McAloon Talks Lightweight Move Ahead of BFL 71

Mike McAloon tests skills with Jonathan Broad at BFL 71 on February 17th. This lightweight clash transpires in Vancouver, BC, and broadcasts on UFC Fight Pass.
I spoke with McAloon ahead of this one and we covered several subjects such as: -Going from featherweight to lightweight for this one and going forward in general
-Allocating more physical and mental energy towards training with this move to a higher weight division
-The benefits of being a co-main event on a UFC Fight Pass broadcasted card even amid a loss
-The start and stop dynamics with fans being in attendance for live MMA cards in Canada
-The great work had at the legendary Canadian mixed martial arts gym, Toshido MMA
-Working with someone like Toshido MMA coach David Lea who is a legend in the Canadian fight scene

Anatoly Malykhin Talks Kirill Grishenko Interim Title Fight at One: Bad Blood

Anatoly Malykhin tests skills with Kirill Grishenko on February 11th at ONE: Bad Blood. This interim ONE heavyweight championship bout transpires at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
I spoke with Malykhin ahead of this fight. We touched on several subjects such as: -The importance of the great training staff over at Tiger Muay Thai
-The back-to-back first-round finishes with strikes and Malykhin's work with Johnny Hutchinson building to that
-ONE Championship recently instantiating 50k post-fight performance bonuses and Malykhin's thoughts on that
-Testing positive for COVID 19, as reported by South China Morning Post, and how Anatoly Malykhin has been feeling with the situation
-A recent birthday transpiring and what Anatoly Malykhin was able to get up to for it
-When the offer of an interim title fight got put out to him 
-Wanting to fight champion Arjan Bhullar but the reigning champ's contract dispute prompting a Malykhin return since September
-The ONE Championship heavyweight division being the deepest that it has ever been
-Thoughts on the main stylistic aspects of Kirill Grishenko
-What level of tape study is being done on Grishenko from Malykhin versus that being allocated to the Tiger Muay Thai coaches
-Malykhin's confidence and where that assuredness in his abilities comes from there
-What kind of hobbies Malykhin has, how he relaxes and decompresses

Aaron Jeffery Talks CFFC 105, Middleweight Title Defense, and More

Aaron Jeffery defends his CFFC middleweight championship against Rex Harris at CFFC 105. This goes down on January 29th and emanates from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the broadcast available via UFC Fight Pass.
I spoke with Jeffery ahead of this bout and we touched on several subjects such as: -Enjoying the shorter notice nature of this fight
-Great work Aaron Jeffery has gotten in recently at Niagara Top Team as well as past and future efforts Syndicate MMA
-Recent training alongside Contender Series opponent Caio Borralho and the unique camaraderie that exists when you share the cage with somebody
-Heading out to Philadelphia a little bit earlier to get some localized work in
-Danny Rubenstein managing Jeffery now and how that relatively newer partnership has been so far
-What would represent the next step for Aaron Jeffery in lieu of his Contender Series bids not working out
-CFFC interactions with CM Punk and Punk's return to pro wrestling since Jeffery and I last spoke
-Jeffery's passion for nutrition and his work as a nutritionist
-What books are catching Aaron Jeffery's fancy as of late
-If fighters have a common nutrition error they make that AJ has seen in his nutritionist efforts
-Why Omega Mart is Jeffery's new favorite grocery store
-If Jeffery and Syndicate MMA sparring partner Sean Strickland would ever start a podcast together
-Jeffery's pristine mullet and if he'd ever put it on the line in a hair versus hair match

Ben Parrish Talks Big Tuna Babyface Turn Ahead of Bellator 273

Ben Parrish tests skills with Sullivan Cauley at Bellator 273 on January 29th. This light heavyweight bout goes down on the event's preliminary portion and emanates from
I spoke with Big Tuna ahead of this bout and we touched on several subjects such as: -Working at an Industrial Supply Company
-Co-workers being excited for Parrish's fights
-The pronounced sentiment shift online from a torrent of trolling to many becoming Parrish fans
-Being a family man and how pissed off his daughter gets losing at Mario Party
-Mentoring up and coming amateur fighters on the rise
-Constantly being the underdog and how that compounds the motivation and creates a chip on the shoulder dynamic
-Thoughts on the overall skill set of his opponent Sullivan Cauley
-Being an official and how refereeing a CFFC fight created some heat with CM Punk
-The possibility of an entrance through the Bellator crowd ala Sandman in ECW

Kaleb Harris on Home State Title Bid at BKFC Fight Night: Jackson

Kaleb Harris test skills with Elvin Brito in a rematch at BKFC Fight Night: Jackson. This main event title bout transpires on January 29th and emanates from Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Mississippi.
BKFC welterweight gold is on the line and I spoke with Harris ahead of this monumental bout. We touched on several subjects such as: -How the buildup for this one represents that dreams are becoming a reality
-The involvement in a myriad of combat sports and the natural aptitude for bare-knuckle boxing
-A sweet science-centric training camp and the defensive amendments needed transitioning to a gloveless competition
-Harris' experiences as an MMA fighter and the crossover skills within BKFC's clinch positions
-Being one of the grassroots talents BKFC and now getting this world title opportunity
-Using his platform to raise awareness for suicide and the importance of that to Harris
-The biggest differences from the Elvin Brito fight in July 2020 versus where both fighters are at for the rematch
-Lionheart being a Mississippi lad and how that will compound the motivation heading into this one

Saad Awad Talks Bellator 273, Fortis MMA, and 165 Pounds

Saad Awad tests skills with Chris Gonzalez at Bellator 273 on January 29th. This lightweight bout transpires at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and broadcasts on Showtime.
I spoke with Awad ahead of this fight and we touched on several subjects such as: -Being a homeowner for just a bit over a year now
-Overall thoughts on his first-round win over Nate Andrews at Bellator 259
-The competitive benefit of feeling like one's back is against the wall ala Awad's fight with Evangelista Santos
-Immense stresses of the Israeli Palestinian conflict and the catharsis of the last win to spotlight the situation
-Why a lightweight rankings spot isn't necessarily in Awad's crosshairs
-If Awad is doing tape study on Chris Gonzalez or if that's allocated to the coaches more so
-If there's a chance for a 165 lb weight division to become a broadly instantiated weight category in MMA
-Reflecting on moments throughout his decade-plus pro career as Awad carves out new memories
-Getting in work over at Fortis MMA

Bobo O’Bannon on BKFC Fight Night: Jackson, Alan Belcher Bout, and More

Bobo O'Bannon takes on Alan Belcher at BKFC Fight Night: Jackson. This heavyweight clash transpires on January 29th at Jackson Convention Complex from Jackson, Mississippi.
I spoke with O'Bannon ahead of this collision and we touched on several subjects such as: -Why O'Bannon is so consistently underrated despite being demonstrably successful in BKFC
-How the preference is for surrounding perceptions to be on him as the underdog versus the huge favorite
-If this Belcher bout is a title eliminator fight
-O'Bannon ultimately being his own toughest opponent as he advances in his career
-The lifestyle changes that have really bolstered Bobo's BKFC efforts
-Putting in full-time work as a Millwright when not knuckling up
-If Bobo's kids are at that age of comprehension yet where they fully understand what dad does
-The regular presence of Britton O'Bannon at fights and if she'll be present at BKFC Fight Night: Jackson
-The humbling level of fan support with Britton's health situation
-BKFC fans appreciating how forthright and honest he is
-O'Bannon's ability to push through difficulties and focus on the positives as an attribute within the combative competition
-General thoughts on what O'Bannon has seen from Alan Belcher