UFC 139 preview: Faber vs. Bowles

Urijah Faber will look for a win and possibly another
shot at the bantamweight title this Satuday at UFC 139.

Nitesh Dutt

CSNBayArea.com

Three fights on the main card for UFC 139 include former champions looking for another shot to wear title gold. The bout between two former WEC bantamweight champions pits Sacramento’s Urijah Faber vs. Charleston, West Virginia native Brian Bowles is possibly the most anticipated fight on this card.

In what many have dubbed a “No. 1 contender’s match” for Dominick Cruz and the UFC Bantamweight title, Faber will look for another shot at dethroning the champ while Bowles is looking for his first UFC title shot. Faber’s last bout was a decision loss to Cruz at UFC 132, while Bowles defeated Takeya Mizugaki on his UFC debut that same night.

Fans, especially those in Northern California, might be quick to give Faber the upper-hand as he has had almost three times as many professional fights as Bowles, but Bowles is a dangerous fighter who is as comfortable standing and throwing punches as he is grappling and locking in a submission. And, unlike Faber, Bowles has fought his whole career at 135 pounds whereas Faber has fought mostly at 145.

Do not under estimate the toll that can take on a fighters’ body. It might mean cutting less weight, but it also affects how you train and how fast you move inside the cage. For fighters of Bowles and Faber’s division, it can make the difference between dodging a punch and getting knocked out.

This is fight that’s hard to predict how it will play out, because both fighters have diverse styles. Faber, although a collegiate wrestler and Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has been more inclined to stand and throw punches in recent years. Bowles, also a Brown belt in BJJ, has been able to mix together his stand up and ground game into a very balanced attack.

If this fight stays as a stand-up brawl, you can expect non-stop action with both fighters looking to throw that knockout blow. Fans of Faber would be inclined to cheer against a match of submissions and mat work. Faber was once a phenomenal mat technician, but Bowles has used his wrestling skills more consistently his past several fights.

This match-up is one of the better bantamweight bouts UFC has set up in the past year and with this being for a possible title shot, you can expect both fighters to use all they have in their arsenal to come out the victor.

Follow me on Twitter at @NiteshDutt.