Dylan James Bowker

Alain Ngalani on Thomas Narmo bout and overall ONE Championship journey

Alain Ngalani recently fought to a relatively inauspicious no contest against Thomas Narmo. The ONE: Battleground II bout ended abruptly after an errant low blow.
I recently chatted with The Panther shortly after that August 13th broadcast. Ngalani covered several subjects on Bowks Talking Bouts such as: -A passion for fitness and guiding people towards general wellness
-The early days of Judo and Karate since he was five years old
-Being a role model while Ngalani considers his early on martial arts role models
-His picture-perfect debut outing inside the ONE Circle against Mahmoud Hassan
-Training with former opponent Aung La N Sang recently at Sanford MMA
-Positive mental attitude really lending itself to Alain Ngalani's longevity in combat sports
-The feeling in the ONE Circle after the no-contest ruling versus Thomas Narmo
-His ideal 2021 strength of schedule going forward and possible heavyweight matchups
-Being with the promotion since 2013 and the mutual growth along with ONE Championship

Zhang Lipeng on ONE debut win, Shinya Aoki, and more

Zhang Lipeng is coming off of a thorough victory over Eduard Folayang at ONE: Battleground II.
I spoke with the former TUF: China champ and we covered several subjects such as: -Zhang's feelings after this win, the importance of beating a former lightweight champion, and the relief that comes with all of that
-Targeting Shinya Aoki as an idealistic next opponent
-If the callout was more mindful of wanting to test skills with Shinya Aoki or more to facilitate getting towards getting a lightweight title shot as quick as possible
-The importance of becoming ONE's first male Chinese champion
-How the Eduard Folayang bout aligned with his preconceived notions
-Normative UFC weight cuts as compared to the ONE Championship hydration tests
-If the hydration tests created compounded level of energy that reflected in the performance
-Thoughts on the ONE lightweight title bout between Christian Lee and Ok Rae Yoon
-The level of tape study that Lipeng has done on Christian Lee

Kandi Wyatt talks title eliminator bout on UFC Fight Pass

Kandi Wyatt takes on Alma Ibarra in a consequential title eliminator bout at Sycuan Casino in El Cajon, California.
This eight-round welterweight bout goes down on Friday, August 20th, and broadcasts on UFC Fight Pass. I spoke with Wyatt recently and we covered multiple topics: -If any COVID-19 related roadblocks impeded her progress
-If frustrations materialized at any point amid the myriad of training pivots in a global pandemic
-The performance in her sophomore world title bid
-Fighting in Dekada with three minute round increments but since reverting back to two minutes
-What can be done to amend things so women can compete in three minute round increments
-Michael Short and DiBella Entertainment as allies of women's boxing
-A third world title crack coming with a victory here
-Kandi Wyatt's opponent, Alma Ibarra, and her notable stylistic attributes
-Kandi Wyatt's thoughts about being on UFC Fight Pass
-Women's Boxing champs crossing over to mixed martial arts and if Wyatt would ever do MMA
-Inspiring a myriad of local fighters at her club
-Seeing a bit of her younger self in some of the kids that train at her club

Johnny Bedford on Reggie Barnett Jr title rematch at BKFC 20

Johnny Bedford tests skills with Reggie Barnett Jr in a bare-knuckle boxing rematch. The BKFC and Police Gazette lightweight championships are on the line and are presently vacant.
This title fight goes down at BKFC 20 and it's apropos that it transpires on August 20th. The fistic fireworks transpire at Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi with the broadcast going on the BKTV App.
I spoke with Bedford again on Bowks Talking Bouts about multiple topics:
-Training for Johnny Bedford as of late and the tumultuous timeline prior
-A sense of clarity by leaving behind previous gym drama and being in a new space
-The work Johnny Bedford has gotten at FHG boxing gym
-Being a cornerman at recent CFFC shows and his coaching endeavors
-Johnny Bedford's last fight with Dat Nguyen and the bad blood subsequent to the bout
-The Johnny Bedford vs Reggie Barnett Jr sequel where there's a lot of mutual respect heading in
-If the winner here is not only the best lightweight in the sport but the best pound for pound overall
-If fights at 145 lbs still entice Johnny Bedford going forward
-Coaching his little girl in Jiu-Jitsu and how being a dad is his most important job
-Johnny Bedford's interaction with CM Punk at CFFC

Reggie Barnett Jr talks Johnny Bedford rematch at BKFC 20

Reggie Barnett Jr takes on Johnny Bedford in a rematch this Friday. The BKFC and Police Gazette lightweight championships are on the line and are presently vacant.
This title fight goes down at BKFC 20 and it's apropos that it transpires on August 20th. The fistic fireworks transpire at Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi with the broadcast going on the BKTV App.
Barnett Jr returned to Bowks Talking Bouts and covered several subjects:
-The family legacy of 757 Boxing Club and Barnett Sr having the BKFC 16 mat in his man cave
-The road from the BKFC tryouts to this championship bid
-Barnett Jr's last fight with well regarded former gloved boxing champion DeMarcus Corley
-If there is redemption in this rematch with Johnny Bedford
-If there's a competitive utility to having a chip on your shoulder
-If he has thought of the moment he shows the world titles to his dad

Cheick Kongo on Sergei Kharitonov Bellator 265 main event

Cheick Kongo takes on Sergei Kharitonov at the Bellator 265 main event. It goes down on Friday, August 20th, and the heavyweight clash broadcasts on Showtime.
Kongo came on Bowks Talking Bouts to cover several subjects such as:
-The relatively recent legalization of MMA in France
-Modern french heavyweights like Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou, etc
-Thinking he'd retire before France legalized MMA and the bittersweet dynamics of fighting in his home country
-Overall thoughts on the matchup with Sergei Kharitonov
-If Kongo feels slighted by the promotion leading into this one
-The 10 year anniversary of Kongo's iconic Pat Barry stoppage
-The 20 year anniversary of Kongo's debut in mixed martial arts earlier this summer
-Kongo's lengthy training relationship with Rampage Jackson that continues today

Sabah Homasi talks Andrey Koreshkov clash at Bellator 264

Sabah Homasi takes on Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 264 on Friday, August 13th. A welterweight affair that transpires at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and will be broadcast on Showtime.
I spoke with The Sleek Sheik ahead of this high stakes bout at 170 lbs. He covered several subjects such as: -Being nominated for the 13th annual Fighters Only MMA awards show for that last Paul Daley fight
-Being a fan of Paul Daley's since he was 18 years old
-Thoughts on this matchup with a former divisional champion in Andrey Koreshkov
-The elite tape study and elite training partners at American Top Team
-His journey with ATT since 2008 and the tight-knit bonds there
-Competing with Bellator on and off since June 2010
-Breaking his hand in the first round of the Bobby Voelker fight and then getting a flying knee stoppage early on in the second round

Roberto Satoshi de Souza on becoming 1st Rizin lightweight champ

Roberto Satoshi de Souza cements himself as the inaugural Rizin FF lightweight champion.
The Jiu-Jitsu savant secured a first-round triangle choke victory over Tofiq Musayev at Rizin 28.
De Souza came on Bowks Talking Bouts to cover a myriad of topics including: -garnering an emphatic victory that was apparently an underdog win in the eyes of many
-the incredible outpouring of emotion with his team Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu reacting to the victory
-his special bond with fellow Rizin killer Kleber Koike
-Rizin having a Tokyo Dome show and combat sports returning to that iconic venue after many years
-watching PRIDE FC as a young man in Brazil looking up to fighters like Minotauro and Wanderlei Silva
-training for close to a year straight and now unwinding with family
-his tentative timeline for getting back in December for Rizin's NYE show