To be "the man," you have to beat "the man," and that's exactly what Brian Bowles did to become the bantamweight champion at WEC 42... he beat "the man."

In one of the biggest shockers of 2009, Bowles ended the seventeen fight win streak of popular champion Miguel Torres with a knockout at 3:57 of the first round. That victory improved his record to a perfect (8-0) and gained him a well-deserved spot in the main event at WEC 47 on March 6 against number one contender Dominick Cruz.

Not even ten fights into his professional career; Brian Bowles finds himself amongst the worlds top pound for pound fighters and is currently "the man" in his respective division.

I recently caught up with Bowles to discuss his career up unto this point. Too much too soon, or the next big ticket in the WEC... you be the judge.

Only time will tell.

FiveKnuckles.com: Brian, you've been fighting professionally since 2006. Can you describe what led you into the sport of mixed martial arts and your early days as a fighter?

Brian Bowles: I used to watch MMA all the time and I wrestled in high school. I thought MMA was interesting and I wanted to give it a shot. It became an opportunity when one of my friends at Hardcore Gym talked me into joining him. I started training, next thing I knew one of my coaches asked me to take on an amateur fight and I won. I kept winning and eventually turned pro. I won all of my fights and got asked to join the WEC. I won my next five fights, now here I am.

FiveKnuckles.com: When did you know you had what it takes to be a champion?

Brian Bowles: Once I started rattling off some good wins in WEC. I started paying attention to some of the other guys and I could see that I was good enough. I didn't think they were that much better than me at all, but becoming the champion is no easy task. I was able to focus more on training and I realized I was getting better and better everyday. I wasn't just stuck in one spot; I knew I had a chance to be as good as anybody if I kept working as hard as I could.

FiveKnuckles.com: Well, your efforts aren't going unnoticed and you currently hold the title in one of the most exciting weight classes in the world. How do you feel about the bantamweight division's recent spike in popularity?

Brian Bowles: There are a lot of good fighters in this division which hasn't had much of a platform in this country until recently. Most of the guys have been fighting in Japan where the smaller guys have always been showcased. Now the WEC is really giving us the opportunity to grow. If you look at fighters like myself and Miguel, amongst others; the potential is definitely there.

FiveKnuckles.com: Let's back track to the night you stopped Miguel Torres in the first round for the title back in August. It was only your eighth fight as a professional so it's fair to say you were the underdog going in. Explain how you were feeling going into that fight and how it played out?

Brian Bowles: I felt really good going in. ...