Dylan James Bowker

Louie Lopez “Gonna Be a Wrap” vs Bryan Duran at BKFC 57

Louie Lopez tests skills against Bryan Duran at BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout on February 2nd.
Lopez appeared on episode 52 of Bare Knuckle Radio. We touched on several subjects like: -being active in MMA and boxing recently
-the dynamics of returning to BKFC after his featherweight title bid
-the bright lights of BKFC making him feel alive in the squared circle
-being more excited for the Duran bout than his crack at 145lb gold
-the historical connotations of being in the first ever BKFC featherweight title fight and the different ways that made him grow
-who Kai Stewart could defend against in the BKFC 145 lb title scene
-how he felt like his former coach Joe Riggs wanted Lopez to win the gold more than Lopez wanted to win the championship himself
-no longer training under Joe Riggs and where he has since moved

Zack Powell "I'm Calling Out (Mickey Gall) After I Beat Mark (Hulme)"

Zack Powell clashes with Mark Hulme at Unified MMA 55 on January 19th.
Powell appeared on episode five of MMA Canada Radio. We touched on several subjects including: -this opportunity being ten years in the making instead of a short-notice MMA fight
-Dana White being in attendance for this upcoming Toronto fight
-preparing to fight the teammate of UFC middleweight title challenger Dricus Du Plessis in this next contest
-a Khabib and Islam Makhachev relationship with Mike Malott
-how preparing Niagara Top Team compatriot Aaron Jeffery for his Dalton Rosta Bellator fight reignited his competitive fire for MMA
-the previous history of fighting at Rebel and the venue familiarity
-preparing his girlfriend to wheel him around after this as he looks to be banged up from going to war so as to impress the UFC brass
-reasons that cause Powell to predict a Sean Strickland KO of DDP
-planning to come out to 'Cult of Personality' for his entrance here and also planning to call out the Lookin' For a Fight vet Mickey Gall

Mateo Vogel ”Fighting on UFC Weekend... Pumped”

Mateo Vogel challenges for the Unified MMA featherweight title against John Nguyen at Unified MMA 55 on January 19th.
Vogel appeared on episode four of MMA Canada Radio. We discussed: -starting off the year early fighting for a huge show in Canada the day before a big UFC pay-per-view card in Toronto
-being the first time fighting in a main event and it being in front of UFC figurehead Dana White broadcasted on UFC Fight Pass
-trending on Twitter after his controversial Contender Series loss and looking to put that behind him with this 145-pound title bid
-expecting Nguyen to fight with some balls as compared to his last opponent Timothy Cuamba who Vogel felt ran their whole bout
-previously being the BFL champion and what winning this Unified MMA belt could do to convey he's the best featherweight in Canada
-working with guys like UFC 145-pound fighter Charles Jourdain

Serhiy Sidey Eyes “More Violent” Ramon Taveras Bout at UFC 297

Serhiy Sidey rematches Ramon Taveras at UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis on January 20th.
Sidey appeared on the third episode of MMA Canada Radio. We discussed: -the dream actualizing into reality of getting to fight at this arena and manifesting the Toronto vision through his processes
-some seeing the first Taveras fight as controversial and why this sequel contest can provide some closure for Sidey going forward
-the depth of the southern Ontario MMA talent pool and how many incredible martial artists he can work with consistently
-feelings on UFC eyeing a ramped up Canadian schedule for 2024
-debuting here in the UFC as the concurrent BFL and BTC titleholder

Tom Theocharis “Biggest Night of My Life” at Unified MMA 55

Tom Theocharis clashes with Robert Dunn at Unified MMA 55 on January 19th in Toronto, Ontario.
Theocharis appeared on episode two of MMA Canada Radio. We discussed: -being on this Unified MMA card in Toronto the day before UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis goes down in the same city
-his parents not being thrilled about his MMA journey earlier on to now where mom and dad are his biggest supporters
-his prior Fall fight in Ottawa getting canceled and how it all worked out in the end because he got on this event
-2023 being Theocharis' best year to date as a martial artist
-the kinship he has with national MMA legend Chris Horodecki
-the balance of being familiar with his opponent but also not overly researching and losing sight of what Theocharis wants to do
-Nathan Pierce beaking him at the weigh-ins before his last fight and the timeline into why that trash talk even began

Rizin Commentator Names Best RFF Fighter Pre-NYE 2023

Joe Ferraro is a stalwart in Canadian mixed martial arts and for years has helmed the position of Rizin play-by-play commentator. Rizin 45 looms closer and continues the rich tradition of New Year's Eve events in combat sports in Japan.
Ferraro appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to discuss: -Rizin Azerbaijan transpiring relatively recently and how important that first international card was for the company overall
-The Juan Archuleta vs Kai Asakura bantamweight title bout
-Kyoji Horiguchi vs Makoto Shinryu II being for flyweight gold and if the inauspicious nature of the first fight may inform the sequel
-Hiromasa Ougikubo versus John Dodson in all likelihood being a 125 pound title eliminator
-Kleber Koike embarking on his comeback path back to RFF featherweight gold against Yutaka Saito
-Seika Izawa being the present champion and combatant of the future as the established Miyuu Yamamoto has her MMA swan song
-The MMA debut of Tenshin's brother, Ryujin Nasukawa here
-Sensing from the fighters how important being on the NYE card is
-The NYE tradition of sumo wrestlers fighting and Sudario being that next generation of sumo practitioner in mixed martial arts
-The importance of a Japanese MMA federation and co-promoting with other organizations in the country
-Enson Inoue mentoring Sudario and Inoue saving Showdown Joe several times while overseas

Nobuyuki Sakakibara on ”The Human Drama” of Rizin NYE 2023

Nobuyuki Sakakibara is the former Pride and current Rizin figurehead. Rizin 45 looms ever closer and continues the rich tradition of combat sports transpiring on New Year's Eve in Japan.
Sakakibara appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to touch on several subjects including: -RIZIN Azerbaijan being the company's first international card and Rizin USA being a bucket list idea in the future with some US jurisdictions approving similar rulesets to Rizin
-some of the big narratives heading into Rizin 45 in the context of seeing the New Year's Eve show as something that sees all of the calendar year's big storylines culminating
-the confluence of elements that remind people of Pride but also being forward thinking to carve a distinctly unique Rizin identity
-learning so much from Antonio Inoki and the discourse had with Kota Ibushi having a shoot fight under the Rizin FF banner
-the PFL-Bellator MMA merger, the future of co-promoted shows with Bellator, and if any dialogue has been had with PFL about some inter-promotional collaboration
-what the projected viewership metrics for Rizin 45 are looking like

Julio Tanori Thought Stephen A. Smith Hematoma Clip: ”Was Fake”

Julio Tanori captured the BYB lightweight championship over Mark Irwin via majority decision. This fight of the year contender happened at BYB 22: Rocky Mountain Brawl on December 2nd.
Tanori appeared on episode 51 of Bare Knuckle Radio following the victory. We discussed: -his feelings living in this moment now following such a monumental win in this contest with 'The Shark'
-the benefits of having the above and beyond mentality as a title holding fighter now in BYB Extreme
-making his outright professional combat sports debut in The Mighty Trigon under that BYB banner
-who he thinks could be his 1st challenger as BYB's 135 lb champ
-Stephen A Smith's viral clip on Irwin's hematoma in the fight and the analyst questioning if bare knuckle should be sanctioned or not
-how much this knock down, drag out classic with Mark Irwin grows Tanori as a combat sports athlete
-what it's like fighting within the tight triangular confines of the BYB Mighty Trigon which boasts such a high finishing rate