Bowkes Talking Bouts

Tyree Fortune takes on Grant Neal at Bellator 259. This light heavyweight bout takes place on May 21st and broadcasts on Showtime.

Fortune came on BTB to cover several subjects ahead of this fight including:

-sparring partners he has and the sparring methodology overall at American Top Team Portland
-his brother Tyrell Fortune and the possibility of future training with him at Arizona Combat Sports
-Neal fighting a teammate of his and itching to compete again after over a year on the sidelines
-following Bellator's light heavyweight grand prix and seeing the tournament story unfurl
-liking that this is the first Bellator card that his brother Tyrell Fortune isn't fighting on too
-the close-knit nature of Portland's combat sports community and growing up with Chael Sonnen
-the importance of the amateur MMA learning curve before turning to pro-competition
-past fights at heavyweight, competing at light heavyweight, and a possible middleweight cut
-the gameplan for both Fortune brothers to hold world championships within Bellator MMA
-being the guy that grabs the aux cord at the gym and setting the vibe with the music for training

Austin Vanderford takes on Fabian Edwards at Bellator 259. This battle between ranked middleweights goes down on Friday, May 21st and broadcasts on Showtime.

Vanderford came on BTB to discuss several subjects including: -the Alaska/ Canada connection
-the journey of his transitioning from Alaska wrestling to Portland for MMA training purposes
-his amateur wrestling efforts being mindful of an eventual crossover into MMA
-Chael Sonnen playing a big role in jumpstarting his fight career on multiple levels
-going from the Portland circuit to Florida and training with American Top Team
-whether or not this Edwards contest is a title eliminator and thoughts on the rankings
-having thick skin with social media trolls and being a light-hearted guy with trash talk
-leaving the bare-knuckle boxing to his wife Paige Vanzant and the BKFC experience
-the mutual growth with Bellator MMA and his individual fighter efforts
-his run on the Submission Underground circuit and the confidence it gives his grappling skills

Johnny Eblen takes on Daniel Madrid at Bellator 258. This bout goes down on Friday, May 7th, and will broadcast on Showtime.

Eblen came on BTB to cover several subjects ahead of this middleweight clash including:

-Getting in work at ATT with Jorge Masvidal, Dalton Rosta, and Roman Faraldo
-The focus he has had on functional strength and having a pronounced focus on his mindset
-Changing his nickname on a fight to fight basis and his current moniker Diamond Hands
-His love for cryptocurrency and if he chops it up with fellow Mizzou alum Ben Askren about that
-The long recovery process from injury plus galvanizing his body and mindset overall
-Yaroslav Amosov consistently playing fire music inside the gym and Johnny's music preferences
-Eblen's assessment of Daniel Madrid's stylistic proclivities and the tape studying methodology

Raufeon Stots takes on Josh Hill at Bellator 258 on Friday, May 7th. The battle of ranked bantamweight contenders goes down at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Stots came on BTB to discuss several subjects ahead of this high-stakes prizefight.

-His assessment of Josh Hill's resume overall and skills as a fighter
-Perceiving himself and Hill as stylistically similar as well as among the divisional dark horses
-Whether or not this contest is going to be a bantamweight title eliminator
-His last performance against Keith Lee and how the story of that fight unfurled
-Working with Bellator 258 title contender at 135 lbs Sergio Pettis
-The great vibes at Roufusport and the jovial, hardworking rapport between the fighters there
-Being very family-oriented and his son Clarence Bubba being a character
-His thoughts on the Jake Paul vs Ben Askren fight and riding with Ben into the Triller card
-How providing for his family fuels him to chase greatness within MMA

Josh Burns takes on Dillon Cleckler at BKFC 17. This is a heavyweight title eliminator and it goes down on Friday, April 30th.

Burns came on BTB to cover several subjects ahead of this high-stakes bare-knuckle boxing fight.

-His previous bare-knuckle boxing experience on the United Kingdom circuit
-How the stars aligned perfectly for Burns' BKFC debut
-His feelings on getting the main event call up for this upcoming fight
-The differences between the BKB ruleset in the UK and BKFC's ruleset
-The bad blood in his BKFC debut and how his sophomore bout is more competition-oriented
-Mark "The Hammer" Coleman being a key part of his corner and the inaugural UFC heavyweight champ being like a big brother to Burns
-How being a father is a great source of motivation for his combat sports efforts
-Working with his core group up in Michigan for this upcoming contest
-Feeling like Dillon Cleckler doesn't have much of a chin and avoiding a firefight with Burns
-Not agreeing with the modern hand strengthening techniques that bare-knuckle boxers use
-Fighting Bobby Lashley in Bellator MMA, his awareness of Lashley's recent exploits as WWE champion, and MMA being more of a financially rewarding hobby for Burns

Karl Albrektsson and Viktor Nemkov will test skills at Bellator 257 on Friday, April 16th. This will broadcast on Showtime and Albrektsson came on BTB to cover a myriad of topics.

-facing off with the brother of the current Bellator light heavyweight champion on Friday
-being one of only two fighters to have beaten Vadim Nemkov and his assessment of Viktor
-putting together a TKO win in his last fight with Superior Challenge in November
-training with the team at Pancrase Gym Sweden and losing their location through the pandemic
-his thoughts on the Phil Davis and Vadim Nemkov rematch for the Bellator 205 lb title
-doing past analyst work in MMA and the benefits it had for his own game as a competitor

Cole Ferrell steps in the cage once again on April 17th. The surging 10-0 warrior will main event SHP 60 and he came on BTB to cover several subjects.

-Catching him right after an Easter egg hunt and teaching his kid martial arts
-Cole's dad beating stage four cancer a few weeks ago
-Having pictures of his favorite fighters in his grade school binders and his MMA fighter dream
-Rocking the Chuck Liddell mullet in sixth grade and his first PPV being Serra upsetting GSP
-His experiences on the backyard fighting circuit as a teenager before going pro
-Competing as a pro from bantamweight up to lightweight with catchweights in between
-His June fight for the AFC 145lb title and his April 17th opponent being switched multiple times
-Getting in work at X3 Sports and them taking him in as a 3-0 pro when few Atlanta gyms would
-Having a job as a corporate recruiter while concurrently competing as an MMA fighter
-What circumstances would have to be at play to become a full-time fighter
-The music that Cole Ferrell likes to train to and his professional growth with Dodge Sports

Jason Jackson takes on Neiman Gracie at Bellator 255 on Friday, April 2nd. Jackson came on BTB to cover several subjects ahead of this bout between top Bellator MMA welterweights.

-Getting in quality work at Sanford MMA with numerous elite-level fighters
-The life benefits of being outdoors in Florida getting in beach and hill work
-Vicent Luque, Gilbert Burns, and Rory MacDonald training work
-Getting the localized insights from MacDonald who handed Neiman Gracie his sole loss
-Respecting Gracie as a technician on the ground and how a win here puts him at #1
-The controversial nature of his Ed Ruth fight and not believing he lost that fight
-Defeating Dhiego Lima for the Titan FC welterweight championship and setting his sights on finishing Dhiego's brother, Douglas Lima for the Bellator welterweight championship
-His goal this year of capturing the Bellator 170 lb belt and bringing Bellator to Jamaica
-The backstory to his nickname The Ass-Kicking Machine and how his love for WWE inspired it
-Being from Jamaica and the pandemic impeding his ability to visit home

Roman Faraldo takes on Trevor Gudde at Bellator 255. The preliminary welterweight bout goes down on Friday, April 2nd, and broadcasts on Showtime.

Faraldo came on BTB to cover several subjects before this fight: -Moving to American Top Team
-Training with multiple camps after his pro debut before deciding on a base gym
-Fighting a six-foot-seven welterweight and taking on such a lanky 170 pounder
-The competitive composure he has despite being relatively early in his MMA career
-The compounded focus from working alongside teammates preparing for their own fights
-The dynamics of fighting in an environment without fans in attendance
-Looking to get in another fight before his baby is due in July
-The music that Roman Faraldo trains to

Tyrell Fortune competes against Matt Mitrione at Bellator 255 on April 2nd. The heavyweight bout goes down at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and broadcasts on Showtime.

Fortune came on BTB and covered several subjects: -Lessons learned across his last three bouts
-How he targeted a fight with Sergei Kharitonov and why it didn't happen
-Targeting a future rematch with Timothy Johnson to avenge his lone career loss
-Being close to Matt Mitrione and having a past training together
-Insights from teammate/ Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader who has defeated Mitrione
-Weaponizing his pace and understanding his biochemistry more with Neuroforce
-Tyrell Fortune's thoughts on the upcoming Bellator rankings reveal