Dylan James Bowker

Brandon Shavers stopped Stanislav Grosu at 1:32 of round 4 in the main event of BKFC Prospect Series: Manassas on February 16th.

Shavers appeared on the 70th episode of Bare Knuckle Radio. We discussed: -coming back from getting knocked down earlier in the fight and securing the finish over someone he felt disrespected by

-the growth in his BKFC game from his debut to where he's at now

-how this win informs his path to a BKFC title shot down the line

-competing in a new weight category here for the first time and how he felt when he moved up in weight to fight here

-wanting to be active in BKFC this year and possible MMA options

-boxing and MMA experiences in the context of what techniques he could carry over as well as which one's didn't translate in BKFC

-getting in some work years back with current BYB Extreme heavyweight champion Ike Villanueva

-if Shavers thinks former opponent Bryce Henry will battle Tony Soto next for the vacant BKFC lightweight championship

-the nickname being 'The Shredder' and how much that comes through in bare knuckle fighting with all the face cuts

Adam De Freitas tests skills with Matt Socholotiuk at BKFC Prospect Series Canada on March 2nd.

De Freitas appeared on episode 69 of Bare Knuckle Radio. We discussed: -the specific mindset that comes a week from the fight

-making his bare-knuckle debut here and the multiple opponent dropouts before this Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship fight

-fighting a Tristar product here and De Freitas focusing on his own skills as opposed to ardent specific tape study on a particular fighter

-the specific way he is approaching training for BKFC action

-the big bump in pay for bare-knuckle as opposed to MMA

-being transparent about bad training days and BKFC nerves

Aiemann Zahabi tests skills with Javid Basharat at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev on March 2nd.

Zahabi appeared on episode 11 of MMA Canada Radio. We discussed: -a top 15 rankings spot potentially being on the line here

-when Georges St Pierre gave him his karate black belt to gain entry into a tournament for Zahabi to win and give GSP the trophy

-wanting to take on more analyst gigs and broadcast work after being in the Unified MMA booth at their Toronto card in January

-Zahabi's thoughts on if Canadian MMA is entering a boom period

-more development being fostered among rising athletes on the Canadian mixed martial arts regional scene in recent years

-the astonishingly spicy hot sauce that was used as a rite of passage during the Tristar dorm days and the hilarity that often ensued

-how reading literature outside of the martial arts bubble can benefit what he does as a rising UFC competitor

-how setbacks inside the octagon really informed his ideal temperament for competing inside of the cage

Jesse Ronson clashes with Anthony Njokuani at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on March 2nd.

Ronson appeared on episode 10 of MMA Canada Radio.

We discussed several subjects such as: -having multiple issues negotiating with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship recently

-having a bare-knuckle fascination and a wealth of mixed martial arts experience leading into this bare-knuckle MMA contest

-a Jordan Mein bout being discussed for BTC Fight Promotions on March 16th

-the empirical evidence with bare-knuckle MMA bouts largely ending via submission and Ronson's path to a finish considering how often his opponent has succumbed to submissions beforehand

-the dramatic difference in power throwing punches bare knuckle versus how Ronson implements his punches with gloves on

-the aspects of this contest that touch on the roots of the sport where gloveless mixed martial arts combat was the norm

-negotiations for a Rizin fight with 'Tank' falling through

-the optics of his UFC run affecting negotiations with ONE

-appreciating this one-fight deal but also having title aspirations in Gamebred Bare Knuckle MMA down the line

-how you have to experience it to believe the enjoyment that comes out of hitting someone with a bare fist

Abdullah Al-Qahtani tests skills with Edukondala Rao at PFL vs. Bellator on February 24th.

Al-Qahtani appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to discuss several subjects including the partisan support competing in Saudi Arabia here, his broader journey in the PFL so far after coming over from Brave CF, and so much more!

Johnny Eblen and Impa Kasanganay will represent Bellator and PFL, respectively, in champion versus champion warfare. PFL vs Bellator emanates from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 24th.

Both appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to discuss multiple things like: -Eblen changing nicknames a lot but sticking to 'Pressure' now

-Eblen being uncertain about his future after the Bellator buyout

-Derek Brunson or Aaron Jeffery possibly being next for Eblen

-Eblen eyeing Bellator title bouts in his division as well as others and PFL super fights concurrently

-Eblen's thoughts on Kayla Harrison's UFC 300 bantamweight fight

-This fight being another permutation of the American Top Team vs Kill Cliff FC battles over the years

-Kasanganay's road going from living in his car to capturing the PFL title and a million dollars

-Wanting to help disenfranchised youth in Africa with better health care, housing, and all that encompasses a better quality of life

-Kasanganay wanting to change the narrative from underdog fighter to one of MMA's pound-for-pound best in 2024

-Eyeing a Francis Ngannou bout and loving his come-up story

Bryan Duran defeated Louie Lopez by way of a fourth-round knockout via overhand right at the 0:48 mark of their BKFC 57 bout on February 2nd.

Duran appeared on episode 68 of Bare Knuckle Radio. We discussed: -being ranked number one in the world by Box Rec

-continuing his historic run in the BKFC after overcoming adversity and beating the number one contender at 145 pounds

-the importance of raising the Autism Awareness flag

-reportedly selling over 70 K in tickets to this recent BKFC Hollywood fight and saying he's the real cash cow of BKFC

-if the BKFC featherweight champion Kai Stewart is next

-his efforts as a musician concurrent with his fighting journey

Donald Sanchez knocked out Noah Cutter 35 seconds into R1 at BKFC Prospect Series 3 on January 27th.

Sanchez appeared on episode 67 of Bare Knuckle Radio.

We discussed generating such a quick as well as violent KO in BKFC's first main event of 2024, winning in front of his hometown as well as one of BKFC's hottest markets Albuquerque, eyeing a title towards the end of the calendar year, plus so much more!

Nicolas Ouellet tests skills with Luis Carlos Bañuelos at BFL 79 on February 8th.

Ouellet was the guest on episode 9 of MMA Canada Radio.

We discussed a past fight being canceled because an opponent was kidnapped as well as robbed, collected amateur gold in BFL leading into peaks/ valleys professionally in their cage, and a whole lot more!

Helen Peralta and Lailane Mota will clash at BYB 24: Super Brawl on Saturday, February 10th.

Both appeared on episode 66 of Bare Knuckle Radio.

We touched on several subjects such as Peralta making her much-anticipated return to bare-knuckle boxing after a multi-year hiatus.

Plus Mota's chance in her sophomore bare-knuckle bout to beat the only woman to defeat Christine Ferea in gloveless combat, both making their BYB Extreme debuts here in the mighty trigon, and so much more!