Heavyweight Steve Mowry continued his undefeated streak at Bellator 257, improving to 9-0 in the process.
With a quick TKO of Shaun Asher, set up with a knee, it felt like the towering Sanford MMA fighter barely broke a sweat. Still, there’s no part of Mowry that wishes that the 55-second bout had gone longer. “No!’ he said, with emphasis. Speaking to media outlets following the bout, Mowry noted that he’s not exactly getting paid by the minute.
What might help his pay, or at least his shot at the title, is Bellator’s newly established official rankings. Mowry sat at the number 7 spot to start the night Friday; that’s likely to inch up a spot or two in the coming days.
“If I’ve learned anything about this game, it’s that the numbers don’t mean anything. They really don’t,” Mowry said on that subject. “It’s cool to get recognition for the hard work and whatever. I’ve been in this sport for a long time, and to finally have that little bit of recognition is cool.” But at the same, time, said Mowry, he’s fought plenty of tough guys with good records, and impressive numbers. “On the flip side of it, I’m sure my numbers are impressive and my stats are nice, but guys are coming to take me out too. So the longer I dwell on it, I feel the less actionable for fighting it is.”
If the numbers don’t matter, then how does Mowry separate himself from the rest of the division? “Beating people up,” he told Cageside Press.
Mowry will become a new dad in July, and is hoping to get a fight in before then if possible. There’s just two names he won’t fight — teammates Matt Mitrione and Linton Vassell.
Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Steve Mowry above.
