Mowry

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Steve Mowry's MMA career is going places.

Mowry, 25, a 2011 Knoch graduate, signed a contract with Bellator this summer and will be fighting Ben Moa, 37, on the preliminary portion of a main card Sept. 21 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.

Mowey is part of the Hard Knocks 365 club in Fort Lauderdale and is one of 35 professional MMA fighters in that organization.

“Bellator is one of the top MMA promotion companies in the country, next to UFC,” Mowry said. “I signed a mullti-year deal with them that's going to get me great competition.”

Mowry is 4-0 with four knockouts since turning pro. MMA fights consist of three five-minute rounds. He knocked out two opponents in the first round, one in the second, one in the third.

The 6-foot-2 Moa is also 4-0 and has three stoppages in the first round.

“I know the guy is tough, but I'm bigger and taller and should be able to use my reach advantage,” Mowry said.

Mowry has put on 15 to 20 pounds in the past year and now stands 6-foot-8, 245 pounds. He has been training two or three hours per day, five days a week.

“We help each other,” he said of the workouts with Hard Knocks 365. “I've been working with that group for the past year and a half and I've gotten much better.

“I've done a little boxing, but MMA is what I want to do fulltime. I feel like I've got the most potential there.”

In between fights, Mowry will be working on a role he recently landed in an upcoming motion picture entitled “The Harvester.”He will be playing a villain in the movie.

“I agreed to the role, but it's just a project right now,” he said. “Once they start filming, my schedule will be pretty busy, but I'll work it out. They'll film my scenes around my fight schedule.”

Right now, he just wants to continue making his MMA career work.

So far, so good.

“I know I'm ready for a step up in competition,” Mowry said. “I'd like to get a little busier with my fight schedule.”

Mowry's four fights have come over a span of two years.

His ultimate goal is to reach the top of the MMA mountain and stay there.

“Before I'm done, I'd like to be known as the best fighter in the world, no questions asked,” he said. “What Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ai and Floyd Mayweather have been to boxing, that's what I want to be to MMA.

“I know those are lofty goals. Some might consider them cocky, but I'm very confident in my ability to succeed at this sport. This contract (with Bellator) is another step in that direction.”