Was Brian Bowles busted mitt just an excuse?

A few things have been stuck in my craw ever since Saturday’s WEC 47. Things that just don’t sit right, like Brian Bowles throwing in the towel with a busted hand after just two rounds.

You can call it a doctor’s stoppage but the only way for the doc to know the hand is busted is to x-ray it – or have the fighter confess that it’s broken. And Bowles seemed pretty calm and matter-of-fact about the whole thing even though it meant he’d just lost the bantamweight belt. I alluded to this in my fight recap story – I know not everyone can break a hand (or two) and keep fighting a la Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown. But it’s as though Bowles knew he was outclassed and getting his ass kicked – which he was, by a very nimble Dominick Cruz – and the broken hand was a way out.

I could be wrong but that’s how I read it. I’m not the only one, as Cory Brady over at Five Ounces of Pain makes the same call and lays out a few more pet peeves from the event that I agree with top to bottom. I especially like his trouble with tears and his assessment of Miguel Torres’s less-than-impressive performance.