Brian Bowles
Active 2011–2013 · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 79.0
Scouting report
Brian Bowles was born in Charleston, West Virginia and moved to Jackson County, Georgia in tenth grade, where he wrestled for three years and found MMA after graduating. He trained at The HardCore Gym, now SBG Athens, under Adam and Rory Singer. At WEC 42 in Las Vegas on August 9, 2009 he knocked out Miguel Torres in round one to win the bantamweight title, an upset that Cagewriters and Inside Fights named the year's biggest. Dominick Cruz took the belt from him at WEC 47 on March 6, 2010.
Peak ratings
Brian Bowles: the champion who knocked out Torres and lost to Cruz with a broken hand
A back injury forced Bowles out of a headline fight with Torres at WEC 40 and Takeya Mizugaki took the slot. The Cruz fight ended on a doctor's stoppage at the end of round two because Bowles had broken his hand. After the WEC merged into the UFC he beat Damacio Page by guillotine at 3:30 of round one on March 3, 2011, a Submission of the Night. A foot injury had removed him from a WEC 52 fight with Wagnney Fabiano. His record finished 10-3, and the UFC released him on March 2, 2015.
Bowles, attribute by attribute
Boxing. 82. Torres was knocked out in round one at WEC 42, which earned the WEC Knockout of the Night.
Kickboxing. 74. George Roop stopped him with punches at 1:43 of round two at UFC 160 in May 2013.
Wrestling. 80. He wrestled for three years in high school. Mizugaki lost a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 decision to him at UFC 132 in Las Vegas on July 2, 2011.
BJJ. 80. Six of his ten wins came by submission. Page tapped to a guillotine in Louisville.
Strength. 75. Only three of his ten wins came by KO or TKO.
Durability. 80. The Cruz fight at WEC 47 in Columbus, Ohio ended with a broken hand and a doctor's stoppage.
Cardio. 82. The Mizugaki fight was the first decision of his career.
Fight IQ. 80. He took an 18-month layoff before the Roop fight and was stopped in the second round.
BJJ at 80 and a belt won with one punch
Torres was the champion and the favorite, and Bowles ended it in the first round. He earned Submission of the Night awards, including one for the Page guillotine in the UFC. The Mizugaki fight was his only decision. For a draft, he is a quick finisher who is also comfortable on the mat.
Kickboxing at 74 and a short UFC run
Urijah Faber caught him with a guillotine at 1:27 of round two at UFC 139 in San Jose on November 19, 2011, in a bantamweight title eliminator. Roop stopped him after the layoff. He fought only four times in the UFC. A striker in another slot covers the gap.
Keep exploring
Closest bantamweight profiles to Brian Bowles, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Brad Pickettbest cardio 84 · weakest strength 74
- Michael McDonaldbest boxing 86 · weakest strength 76
- Takeya Mizugakibest cardio 84 · weakest strength 73
- John Castanedabest cardio 82 · weakest strength 74
- Bantamweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Brian Bowles's strongest attribute, Boxing.
Draft Brian Bowles into your build
Brian Bowles enters the pool on any spin landing on bantamweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Brian Bowles is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Brian Bowles's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.