Dylan James Bowker

Liberty Music: Serena Jost

I had a great talk with Serena Jost about a myriad of topics.
 
We discussed her latest record, putting her own unique take on established public domain music, using a cello that's over a century old, the vulnerability of solo projects instead of performing within a band dynamic, the benefits of being a teacher for individual creative expression, being part of the NYC live music circuit, and so much more!

Ken Shamrock discusses potentially feuding with Minoru Suzuki in NJPW, losing sensory control in a Pride FC ring, WWF Attitude Era highlights, and more

On this BTB episode, I was ecstatic to have on "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock.
 
Bowks Talking Bouts #87 spotlights Ken's upcoming Q&A/ storytelling tour through Canada, how the match with Owen Hart in the Hart Family Dungeon came together (2:33), some of the snug matches he had in WWF with guys like Vader (3:54), performing as Vince Torelli initially and how Dean Malenko played a role in the Ken Shamrock persona emerging (4:43), being part of UWF when they were hot and how that lead to his Pancrase involvement (6:59), his longstanding feud with Royce Gracie and how it seemed like Royce always tried to gain an unfair advantage over him in their fights (8:27).........
 
 
 
The pros and cons of regulation in recent years for mixed-martial arts and the importance of characters/ storylines for fights (11:44), trying to tap back into the ferocity he had from his childhood on the streets in recent fights (13:52), The grueling Lion's Den tryout processes that prospective team members would have to go through (15:14), Ken's thoughts on potentially feuding with Minoru Suzuki in NJPW (17:10), wanting another go with Kazushi Sakuraba and his belief that Saku had his gloves loaded with sand for when Ken fought him in PRIDE (17:45), the chicanery Ken noticed during his Pride FC run (18:53), his fight with Kazuyuki Fujita and how Ken lost his vision/ overall sensory control in the Pride ring (21:42), instances where someone tried to shoot on him in a worked situation (23:58), if Ken has been involved in any dialogue with New Japan Pro Wresting (24:48)........
 
 
 
Taking part in a Steve Aoki music video and how it all came about (25:30), being referenced in the Bigg K vs Danny Myers battle for KOTD (26:11), and more!

Devin Reti discusses how he met Zab Judah while working security and ended up competing on a future Boxing card with Zab, being a featured Boxer for Dekada, and more

I caught up with pro boxer Devin Reti after notching his tenth professional win at Dekada Fight Night's late-May card on Bowks Talking Bouts #86.
 
We discussed notching his tenth pro win in his first eight round fight, how performing in his first main event will inform his approach going forward (3:42), his extensive amateur career and how important amateur experience is before going pro (6:07), working security at Grey Eagle Resort and Casino where he, by chance, met Zab Judah which resulted in his Dekada signing (7:19), being signed with Dekada until Jan 2019 and Devin's goals to capture a championship (11:22), Dekada promoter Michael Short praising Devin's charisma and the performative aspects of pugilism (13:16), being part of a great stable of Calgary prize fighters (14:43), Devin's grandpa being a decorated boxer and how the sweet science is in his blood (16:20), and more!

Gwyn Lewis talks winning his third pro Boxing bout, representing Bowmont Boxing Club/ Dekada, and the support of the Calgary fans

On this BTB episode, I welcomed victorious pro boxer Gwyn Lewis right after his third professional win...………...Bowks Talking Bouts #85.
 
We talked about the fight IQ growth after going through his first full six round fight, how beneficial the promotional backing of Dekada Fight Night is to Gwyn's development, Gwyn's thoughts on the rumblings that he may get a title shot down the line, Gwyn's evaluation of his performance against Wayne Smith, coming out to a receptive crowd where a large amount of them were rocking "Gwynning" shirts, being part of a stable of elite Calgary pugilists (Bowmont Boxing Club), and more!

Jose Shorty Torres discusses Dragon Ball Z and WEC inspiring him to train, runs in UFC and Rizin, and chilling with Fat Joe

On this BTB installment, I spoke with multi-time Titan FC titlist Jose Shorty Torres about a litany of topics......Bowks Talking Bouts #84:
 
 
How Dragon Ball Z and WEC helped guide him to martial arts training, learning multiple disciplines early on and if MMA was always the end goal (2:19), being a product of the IMMAF and the growth of amateur MMA (3:37), his efforts in isolated disciplines and how that strengthens his mental game for MMA (5:58), his entire pro run being with Titan FC and possibly competing in UFC in the future (8:03), considering promotions like Rizin as well (9:53), how his post-secondary education informed his in-cage efforts as a fighter (11:51), going all five rounds in competition and how key it is for his progression to get experience in those championship rounds (13:20), learning in the gym from guys like Khabib, Renan Barao, TJ Dillashaw, Cub Swanson, etc (15:17)......
 
Getting a lot of support from his family/ community and how that galvanizes his efforts in fighting (18:20), chilling with Fat Joe and connecting with him through volunteering (20:04), rocking a Stitch onesie (22:07), bonding over our mutual appreciation of the Dragon Ball series (23:03), using CBD Oil for recovery after fights and hard training sessions (25:13), the music Jose likes to train to (27:00), and more!

Mirko Cro Cop and Gegard Mousasi talk about their respective Bellator 200 MMA fights

I was lucky to speak with Mirko Cro Cop and Gegard Mousasi on Bowks Talking Bouts #83. This was part of the Bellator 200 Media Conference call and I was excited to get perspectives from both ahead of their respective contests. 

Sunny Sareen talks about being the promoter for Unified MMA, Unified MMA 33, and rebounding from the Edmonton combat sports moratorium

I was happy to have long-time Edmonton area MMA promoter Sunny Sareen on Bowks Talking Bouts #81 ahead of his Unified MMA 33 card on Friday, May 11th. 
 
We discussed a few topics including: the nightmare of the Edmonton combat sports moratorium and how damaging it was to have Unified's December card cancelled so last minute, working with a different commission ahead of this next Unified event (1:47), looking to re-book fights from the scrapped Unified card in December (3:42), breakdown of Christian Larsen vs Lee Mein and some other fights on the card (4:40), specific goals for Unified MMA in 2018 (6:30), switching up venues for Unified (7:19), prospective broadcasters for putting out the Unified product on live TV (7:45), and more!

Teddy Ash breaks down fighting Jacob Ortiz at Unified MMA 33, the Matt Hamill fight falling through, and competing for the Unified MMA Light-Heavyweight championship

I spoke with Teddy Ash on Bowks Talking Bouts #80 ahead of his main event bout with Jacob Ortiz at Unified 33 for the vacant Unified MMA Light-Heavyweight title.
 
We covered a few things including: how his training preparations went ahead of this big fight, his fight with Matt Hamill falling through when The Hammer got injured and how he doesn't let that bother him (1:45), his assessment of Jacob Ortiz heading into this relatively short notice key title bout (2:29), the scenarios he's been drilling in the gym so he can fluidly express himself on fight night (3:37), goals for after this fight should he win the Unified MMA title (4:47), the magnitude of this fight card (5:48), and more!