A main event matchup between UFC veteran “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-19-1) and 6'5", 285-pound "Monster" Ron Sparks (2-0) at MMA Big Show New Dawn at Belterra Casino in Indiana Saturday has been cancelled. ...

Fight fans gather on weekends in bars, homes, and event centers to watch promotions such as Strikeforce, WEC and UFC while local events struggle to gather fans to support the future of the sport. MMA Gospel and Fighters.com understand that most fans don't know the young pro fighters in their area, let alone the amateur fighters. They do not have feelings for these fighters one way or another, not like they do for  “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1), Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1), or eighth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7). ...

The Ultimate Fighter 8 lightweight “Lunatik” Junie Browning (4-1) submitted Scott Cornwell (1-1) in a reverse triangle at 3:13 of round one at MMA Big Show: Onslaught at Belterra Casino Saturday. ...

Join Reverend Turk Vangel, Gary Riedman, and Drew Hall  live Saturday night from 6:00 - 8:00 PM ET on MMA Gospel Radio.   MMA Gospel will welcome Strikeforce's newest welterweight "Relentless" Roger Bowling (6-0) to the show and have their prediction for UFC 105, which airs on SpikeTV immediately following the broadcast. Listen live and join the chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel. ...

An arrest warrant has been issued for The Ultimate Fighter 8 lightweight “Lunatik” Junie Browning (3-1) for failure to appear at a hearing stemming from his arrest for battery in Henderson, Nevada in October. ...

The Ultimate Fighter 8 lightweight “Lunatik” Junie Browning (3-1) will return to the cage at MMA Big Show: Onslaught November 28.  It'll be his first fight since being charged with battery outside of Las Vegas and being subsequently cut by the UFC. ...

Twenty-six year old Cincinnati stud “Relentless” Roger Bowling (5-0) has signed an exclusive contract with San Jose-based MMA promotion Strikeforce, according to a reliable source. ...

Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio are proud to announce a partnership that'll bring you more of the best mixed martial arts content. ...

The Ultimate Fighter 8 lightweight “Lunatik” Junie Browning (3-1) has signed with Belterra Casino-based MMA Big Show, that promotion announced Wednesday. ...

"Pitbull" Josh Souder (7-6) talked exclusively to Fighters.com about his fight versus Matt Traylor (2-0) at MMA Big Show: Mayhem at Belterra Casino 12 September. MMA Big Show: Mayhem kicks off at 7:00 PM Saturday at Belterra Casino and tickets starting at $25 can be bought at Ticketmaster. Fighters.com will be live at Belterra Casino to report all the action Saturday night. ...

"Mojo" William Horne (3-1) talked exclusively to Fighters.com before his return versus “Bubba” Robert McDaniel (13-5) at MMA Big Show: Mayhem at Belterra Casino 12 September.

MMA Big Show: Mayhem kicks off at 7:00 PM Saturday at Belterra Casino and tickets starting at $25 can be bought at Ticketmaster. Fighters.com will be live at Belterra Casino to report all the action Saturday night.

Twenty-six year old Cincinnati stud "Relentless" Roger Bowling (5-0) has been forced out of a long-awaited first test at the big time versus The Ultimate Fighter 6 contestant War Machine (8-2), formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, at XFC 9 in Tampa 5 September due to broken knuckles injured in his 41-second TKO of Devon Plaisance (2-4) at MMA Big Show in Belterra 25 July. Jason Appleton, Bowling's manager, told Fighters.com Saturday morning, "Roger is devestated because he had a lot of people already with plane tickets in-hand, vacations planned, etc., all of which having to be cancelled. [UFC Matchmaker] Joe Silva and people from Strikeforce were awaiting the outcome of this fight. It was a damn big deal. It's a sad situation, but it's got to be put on hold." A frustrated War Machine described the unfortunate circumstance with a bit more color: "Roger Bowling is a fucking pussy! Twice we have been scheduled to fight now and twice he has suddenly gotten injured two weeks before the fight! If you're scared to fight the War Machine, don't sign on the dotted line, faggot!" ...

Middleweight "Mojo" William Horne (3-1) will bounce off his first loss - a TKO by John Troyer (4-3) for the MMA Big Show middleweight strap at Belterra Casino last June - to take on "Bubba" Robert McDaniel (13-5) at MMA Big Show: Mayhem at Belterra Casino 12 September, Fighters.com confirmed with MMA Big Show promoter Jason Appleton Sunday.

McDaniel tapped Chris Spicer (4-2) in a rear naked choke at Bellator 5 in Corpus Christi 8 May. His claim to fame is pulling the same technique to expose "Kolohe" Kala Hose (7-1) in 41 seconds at EliteXC in Honolulu in June 2008.

Horne's cache comes from a three-round unanimous decision over The Ultimate Fighter finalist "Bring the Pain" Josh Haynes (12-9) at MMA Big Show at Belterra Casino in May 2008.
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Two-time UFC veteran "Hater Hurter" Johnny Rees (10-2) and JG Academy's Chris Wells (5-4), a BJJ brown belt under Jorge Gurgel (13-5), headline MMA Big Show Unstoppable in Belterra, south of Cincinnati, Saturday 25 August. The welterweights will compete for a shot at the Big Show title on a card that features champion "Relentless" Roger Bowling (4-0) returning from a hand injury to fight Devon Plaisance (2-3). Reese was undefeated until entering the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 14 in Las Vegas in July 2008, when he was tapped in a triangle choke by Nate Loughran (8-1). "Hollywood" Steve Bruno (10-5) tapped him in a rear naked choke at Fight For The Troops in Fayetteville, North Carolina in December 2008. ...

By Dan Hauenstein “Hitman” Chad Hinton (2-0) won “Hammer” Joe Ammerman’s (4-2) lightweight title; and, “Relentless” Roger Bowling (5-0) defeated Paul Mann (2-1) in the co-main event Saturday night in Covington, south of Cincinnati, as MMA Big Show celebrated its second anniversary with Relentless. The fight between Hinton and Ammerman went the full distance of three rounds, not the five usually allotted to title bouts. Round one saw Ammerman survive an eye poke and Hinton survived a close call with a kick to the groin.  After exchanging blows at the beginning of the match, Hinton repeatedly took down Ammerman but was unable to finish, ultimately earning him a score of 29-28 across the board for the unanimous decision win, and the lightweight belt. ...

"Ninety-percent of [mixed martial arts] promoters in this country are working at a loss.”

MMA Big Show’s promoter, Jason Appleton, is a self-described “no bullshit kind of guy.”  At seven-feet tall, he sprawled across his lounger in his suburban Cincinnati home, spat dip into a plastic soda bottle, and told Fighters.com, “Anybody who thinks us promoters are making windfalls of cash are just are very, very ill-informed.  I lost thirty grand on my first show.  I lost over fifty grand on my second show!"

Appleton expects his 1 November show at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, south of Cincinnati, to be much more successful; but, putting on a successful MMA event is kind of like wriggling free from a gogoplata.

The next show, MMA Big Show’s fifth since 2006, is headlined by local talent, MMA Big Show Welterweight Champion “Relentless” Roger Bowling (3-0).

"Nobody knows this but you, right now.  Roger doesn't even know,” Appleton revealed.

Bowling was scheduled to fight Team Bison’s “The Squeeze” Sam Morgan (19-12); but, Morgan had taken a shot to his ribs from “Bang” Duane Ludwig (17-8) in Denver the previous weekend at Strikeforce Payback.

Appleton explained, “I got a call this morning from his coach and he said, ‘Hey, man, I just want to give you a heads up.  We've got to have Sammy checked out by the doctor because we tried to put some pressure on his ribs and it looks like he's in bad shape.’  So, they pulled out on me today.”

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Local boy "Mojo" William Horne (4-0) wore down former TUF finalist "Bring the Pain" Josh Haynes (9-10) over three rounds at MMA Big Show at Belterra Casino Resort & Spa in Indiana Saturday night. "I'm a stand-up guy," Horne confessed after the unanimous decision victory. "I thought he'd throw with me." Haynes, known for his gutsy brawling, and Horne tussled mostly on the mat. "The takedown was there, so why not," Haynes said. "Mojo" shot from his corner at the opening bell and, after a flurried exchange, the fighters scrambled to the mat. Haynes swept Horne into Horne's half guard and "Bring the Pain" brought it from the half mount. Horne soon reversed Haynes, taking the TUF runner-up's back and sinking his hooks. "Mojo" transitioned to a body triangle as Haynes rocked side-to-side to defend the rear naked choke. The body triangle would be the key to Horne's victory. Haynes admitted after the fight, "I didn't defend the body triangle properly. I didn't realize he was going to be that long." Towards the end of the first session, Haynes worked his way to a crouch at the cage with Horne on his back; and, eventually, both fighters took their feet for a brawl; but, the round closed back on the mat with Horne easily able to re-take Haynes's back. "Mojo" dropped Haynes with a right hook to begin the second round. Haynes scrambled to his feet on fumes and Horne let loose in a flurry, connecting a knee, snapping leg kick, and stiff straight left that drove Haynes to the cage. In desperation, Haynes dove for a single leg takedown; but, the fighters scrambled back to their feet. Haynes lunged in with a jarring right hook to Horne's body, then took "Mojo" to his back. But, Horne was again able to sweep to Haynes's back and apply the body triangle. The round closed with Haynes effectively defending the rear naked choke. "No, I was never in trouble," described Haynes of Horne's submission attempts. But, trouble was on the judges' cards. Haynes wanted to brawl to begin round three. The warriors threw leather; and Haynes pushed out of Horne's clinch attempt. Eventually, though, the fight couldn't avoid the cycle that had been set. The final bell rang with Horne on Haynes's back, wrapped in a body triangle, while Haynes defended a rear naked choke. The sold-out crowd roared, anticipating the victory for Horne. Fighters.com scored all three rounds for undefeated Horne, who said next up is, "Hopefully fighting for more money." Haynes was distraught after the loss and complained of the referee allowing the fight to linger on the mat as he successfully defended all of Horne's rear naked choke attempts. Before the main event, MMA Big Show Welterweight Champion Dustin Winterhalt (4-0) tapped late replacement Nicco Boscarino (0-1) at 2:27 of the third round beneath a ground'n'pound barrage. Boscarino withered beneath Winterhalt's powerful beat down, but defended well-enough for taking the fight on a day's notice. "He hasn't even trained in three weeks," Boscarino's trainer said. In the second round, Boscarino was deducted a point after sucker punching Winterhalt as the referee stood them. In the third, Winterhalt pounded hammer fists and elbows from side control until Boscarino rolled to his stomach and tapped. MMA Big Show Heavyweight Champion Brian Heden (4-0) knocked out challenger Rod Housley (2-2) in 1:49. Heden pushed Housley to the fence and Housley rocketed knees to Heden's body in the Thai clinch. Heden wrestled for separation and landed a right haymaker that fell Housley. A late stoppage by the referee caused Housley to take two too many punches on the mat and, after several somber minutes, he had to be escorted from the cage by the paramedics. Lightweight Chad Hinton (1-0) wore down Mick Berwanger (0-1) in a round-and-a-half with strong G'n'P. The ripped up Hinton took tatted up Berwanger to the mat in side control to begin the fight. Berwanger was determined to bang, walking back up to his feet. But, Hinton was more determined. In the clinch, Hinton connected with a knee to Berwanger's body, then pulled guard. Hinton was just too strong. He hammered Berwanger in spurts of G'n'P; but, the spurts weren't frequent enough to satisfy the referee. They were put back on their feet and Hinton closed round one connecting with a right hook, right cross combo. Hinton went right back to work in round two. He caught a Berwanger kick and dumped his foe, continuing the G'n'P attack. Berwanger rolled to his back and Hinton flattened him out and drove fists into his head until the referee ended the fight. In amateur action, featherweight Brian Ross (0-0) entered the cage to Hank Williams, Jr. Canadian Scott Gilesby (0-0) trotted in to Eminem. After two action-packed rounds and a nap in the third, Ross left the cage with split decision victory 29-28 twice, 28-29 once. Fighters.com scored it 29-28 for Gilesby and Ross had tapped at the end of the second round anyway, but the ref missed the call. Cincinnati welterweight Ben Cox (0-0) fought through a broken nose and first-round barrage to choke out Jeff Brooks 38-seconds into the third by rear naked. "The Marine" Jordan Sullivan (0-0) transitioned quickly into an armbar to submit "The Gorilla" Luis Gonzales (0-0) 33 seconds into round one of a middleweight scrap. Gonzales was later seen in the casino with ice on his left inside elbow. Lightweight Jon Bilagot (0-0) knocked out Charles Malcolm (0-0) with a knee strike in only nine seconds. Prince Speights (0-0) submitted "Boss" Matthew Smith (0-0) in an armbar 51 seconds into round two. "Hit Like 10" Ray Allen (0-0) submitted "Sub Human" Dylan Human (0-0) in a standing guillotine transitioned after pulling guard. Heavyweight Mike Powell's (0-0) seat at the buffet didn't get cold in the time it took Ron Mitchell (0-0) to TKO him standing. "The Caveman" David Cagg TKO'd heavyweight Matt Gaustad at 1:26 of the first round. Photos by Damion Torrez. ...