No one flies under the radar quite like World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion Brian Bowles, who, despite an impeccable resume, has flourished in relative anonymity. When talk turns to leading men in the WEC, former champions Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber inevitably move to the front of the line.
Singer understands how Bowles fits into the promotional equation. He points to his humble beginnings -- a soft-spoken, reserved West Virginia native spawned by a small martial arts gym in northeast Georgia. In truth, Bowles exists about as far away from the spotlight as any elite fighter.
“He’s quiet; he’s reserved,” Singer says. “He doesn’t come from a glamour team. That’s who he is. Perception is perception, and reality is reality. We are a small gym in Athens, Ga. We work hard, but we’re not a factory like some other gyms.”
The 28-year-old Bowles will defend his bantamweight crown for the first time this Saturday, when he meets Dominick Cruz in the WEC 47 “Bowles vs. Cruz” main event at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Though he has carved a path of figurative destruction through the 135-pound division and punctuated his climb to the top with a brutal knockout victory over Torres last summer, Bowles still has plenty of naysayers, those who swear he felled the popular former champion by sheer dumb luck.
“I don’t know what a lucky punch is,” Bowles says. “You’re out there fighting and throwing punches, and you’re trying to hit them, so I don’t see how that’s lucky.”
Singer shrugs at the detractors.
“There is no luck,’” he says. “There is no ‘catching somebody.’ On that night, in that fight, Brian was the better fighter. Can I say what would happen if they fought again? No. Neither guy is going to be the same fighter. If Miguel went out and triangled Brian, I’m not going to say, ‘He caught Brian.’ I’m going to say, ‘He submitted him. Let’s line up a third fight.’”
While it packs plenty of box office appeal, a rematch with Torres must wait, as both men have formidable foes standing in their way. Torres faces Joseph Benavidez in the WEC 47 co-main event; Bowles draws the once-beaten Cruz, a former title contender at 145 pounds who has won five consecutive fights.
“Cruz knows how to win, which is an important quality to have,” Singer says. “He’s the kind of guy where you look up in the third round and he’s up two rounds to none or you look up in the fifth round and he’s up three rounds to one. He may not be flashy, he may not be exciting, but knowing how to win … I think there’s the ‘luck.’ Without a doubt, I think people are underestimating him.”
Count Bowles among those who value Cruz’s skills. Though many pine for the Torres rematch, he has planted his sights squarely on the man in front of him.
“All I’m focusing on is Cruz; that’s really the way it is,” Bowles says. “The only thing I have to do right now is defend my title. If [Torres and I] fight again, cool. If it doesn’t happen, whatever.”
Bowles has finished all eight of his opponents, the last four of whom -- Torres, Will Ribeiro, Damacio Page and Marcos Galvao -- were ranked among the top 10 when he fought them. He seems determined not to allow the considerable success he has enjoyed to interfere with the business at hand.
“I really don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff,” Bowles says. “I try to stay grounded and keep doing what I do. If I let stuff go to my head, I might change. Some people get caught up in that kind of stuff. I don’t want to be one of those people.”
Bowles -- who trained with American Top Team’s Micah Miller, a man who defeated him as an amateur, in advance of his showdown with Cruz -- stepped up his pre-fight regimen. He moved his wrestling coach into his house and worked with a strength and conditioning coach five days a week. In addition, he capitalized on The Hardcore Gym’s recent expansion, from a 3,000-square-foot building to a 7,000-square-foot facility. However, Bowles has not competed in eight months, largely because of the broken he suffered while taking out Torres. Despite concerns, all signs point to his being at full strength for his first title defense.
“We were definitely worried about it,” Singer says. “I figured every time he went out and hit hard it was going to break. I was waiting for it, but his hand is 100 percent healed. I was very happy about that.”
Singer sees Cruz as a chance for Bowles to validate his standing in the mixed martial arts world. Only eight professional fights into his career, he has already become a fixture on reputable pound-for-pound lists. Now comes the difficult part -- staying there.
“I think there’s a big difference between winning the title and keeping it,” Singer says. “We forget guys who win it, then turn around and lose it. We remember the guys who defend it.”