Urijah Faber vs Brian Bowles – MMA Preview: UFC 139
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will host UFC: 139 on Saturday, November 19, 2011, where two of the rising fighters in the UFC division will make their presence felt in a highly anticipated fight of the night. Urijah Faber will go against Brian Bowles. That night, their egos will be on the line but more importantly, a future championship match will also be on stakes. The winner of Bowles vs. Faber match will face the Dominick Cruz, the current UFC Bantamweight Champion in 2012.
Both fighters have never met in the fighting ring and this match would be the first time when these two rage machines will square off in a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight. 31-year old Bowles won his debut WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) Bantaweight Championship by beating American fighter Miguel Torres at WEC 42. The title changed name to UFC Bantaweight Championship, when WEC-UFC merged.
Bowles would be looking forward to win the match against Faber so he can take vengeance against Dominick Cruz in 2012. Cruz faced Bowles at WEC 47 for the WEC Bantamweight Championship in March 2010. Bowles suffered a broken hand by Cruz and lost the championship. Bowles would be anticipating a win to take his frustration on Cruz. But for that to happen, Bowles would need to focus on his match against Faber.
Urijah Faber, nicknamed The California Kid, has won 25 fights in his MMA career and lost 5. He has a 33% success rate in striking on his opponents, 27% success rate in takedowns and has a 41% success in forcing his opponents to submit to his moves. On the other hand, Brian Bowles, who is still in search of a nickname, has won 10 fights and lost only one. He has a lower striking success rate as compared to Faber, at 27%. His takedown success rate is nearly equal to that of Faber with 28%. It is interesting to note that both players have an equal success rate in submissions as well, where Bowles has a 45% rate of submission.
The statistics of both fighters are equal and they may be equally destructive in the fighting ring. Both weigh in at 135 lbs (pounds) and have a one inch height difference where Faber is 5ft 6in and Bowles measures at 5ft 7in. Although a one-inch difference may not value much outside the ring, but inside the ring when the fighters stand toe-to-toe, then it would matter for them. Faber would focus on his submissive manoeuvres, takedown abilities and his hand movements, which he is skilled to use with great speed.
If Faber can come in his fighting mind, then his punches and kicks could become his greatest weapon. Bowles, on the other hand, would be focusing on his all-round fighting style and strength. What Bowles needs to concentrate on is his raw strength, which he can utilize if he is able to grapple or takedown Faber. Bowles would be confident to win the fight for he has a better win/loss ratio than Faber, but Faber, on the other hand, would not let this opportunity go out of hand either.
Tags: