5 Reasons Why Damacio Page Could Beat Brian Bowles

As we head closer and closer to the next “UFC on Versus” or “UFC Live” special, all eyes are rightfully on the main event, a major showdown between top Welterweight fighters Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann. But as a diehard fan of the WEC, there’s one fight at “UFC on Versus 3” that I find especially appealing. Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles will make his return to MMA and his debut in the UFC on March 3 against the always-tough Damacio Page. It’s a fight that’s got “sleeper hit of the night” written all over it, so to give it some of the hype it deserves, here’s a new “5 Reasons Why” two-parter. First up: the five reasons why Damacio Page could beat Brian Bowles.

5. Page doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him.

This is one thing even the harshest Damacio Page cynic can’t take away from him. It’s also something that Bowles cynics can hold against him. Bowles lost his first fight due to a broken hand… and while that’s  a serious injury, I can’t help but recall Urijah Faber, who basically once fought with two broken hands simply because the word “quit” did not exist in his vocabulary. Page comes to be a fighter that wants to either finish or get finished, and that killer instinct is a big help against Bowles.

4. Page definitely has a ground game.

Although Page has been submitted four times, he’s won five times by submission. Page finds himself in a weird position when fights go to the ground: he’s susceptible to submissions but also has a surprisingly good submission game himself. It’s all about control: if Page can dictate what happens on the ground, he’s got a good shot at winning the ground game in particular and beating Brian Bowles in general.

3. Page has plenty of power in his hands.

Page is mostly known as a brawler, but he definitely has stopping power. Of Page’s twelve career wins, half of them have come by way of (T)KO. Page has also never been knocked out, so he can afford to swing leather and maybe take two to land one. If Page closes the distance and forces short, fast encounters where Bowles isn’t given the chance to load up his punches, we may see Page win the stand-up battle.

2. It’ll be almost a year since Bowles last fought.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, and I’ll keep saying until the trend is finally and fully broken: “ring rust” is very real. When Bowles steps into the cage for his Octagon debut, it’ll be three day shy of a year since he last fought. And that fight one year ago just so happened to be the first loss of his career, a deflating stoppage victory that cost Bowles his WEC Bantamweight Championship. Page is active and hungry, while Bowles has sat on the sidelines and faces a very uncertain future after Cruz thoroughly outworked and outmatched him. That difference will be a key aspect in helping Page find a way to win this fight.

And the number one reason why I think Damacio Page could beat Brian Bowles is…

1. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.

Without a doubt, this is the single most high-profile match Damacio Page has ever received. It’s his shot at revenge and his shot at defeating a former champion all rolled into one. The UFC’s Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions are both wide open since they were only just instated, and if Page makes a dominating UFC debut, he’ll find himself on the shortlist of can’t-miss lighter-weight fighters in the UFC. This very well could be a defining moment in Page’s career, and if he realizes that and takes hold of this opportunity, then that’s the chief reason why I think Damacio Page could beat Brian Bowles.

And that’s what I think on that subject, fans and friends. Stay tuned for the second part of this new “5 Reasons Why”, it’ll be up shortly. But for now: do you see Damacio Page beating Brian Bowles? Why or why not?