#4
Brian Bowles
Summary: Very well rounded fighter, very strong
Fighter Info
From: | Charleston, West Virginia USA |
Fights Out Of: | Athens, GA USA |
Age: | 30 |
Height: | 5' 7" ( 170 cm ) |
Weight: | 135 lb ( 61 kg |
Bowles started his career in lesser organizations, earning two first-round stoppages and amassing a record of 3-0.
In his first two fights in the organization, he submitted Charlie Valencia with a rear naked choke and knocked out Marcos Galvao at WEC 31 with a flurry that stunned his opponent and a strong right hook to finish, both ending within minutes of the second round, showcasing his proficiency in striking and submission offence (with a primarily wrestling base).
At WEC 35 he finished bantamweight contender Damacio Page with an impressive first round guillotine choke he locked in while his opponent was still standing. It was near the end of 2008 where Bowles would have his most notable victory in the organization yet, defeating Will Ribeiro (who was 9-1 at that time) in the third round via another guillotine choke, on the WEC 37 main card. He was then scheduled to headline WEC 40 in a bout with Miguel Torres, but was forced to withdraw due to a back injury weeks before the event, and was replaced by top ten bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki. Torres successfully defended his belt against Mizugaki at WEC 40.
Torres and Bowles headlined WEC 42 on August 9, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bowles defeated Torres via first round knockout, to become WEC Bantamweight Champion.
Bowles made his first WEC Bantamweight Championship defense against Dominick Cruz on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47.[3] Bowles lost via TKO (doctor stoppage) at the end of the second round with a broken hand.
Bowles was expected to face Wagnney Fabiano at on November 11, 2010 at WEC 52.[4] However, Bowles was forced off the card with a foot injury.[
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[6]
Bowles faced former opponent Damacio Page on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann.[7] In what Joe Rogan described as " a comet that comes around every 1,000 years," Bowles defeated Page by guillotine choke at 3:30 of the first round, the same method and exact time that he defeated Page in their first meeting.
Bowles is expected to face Takeya Mizugaki on July 2, 2011 at UFC 132
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Bowles
