Goodridge was going to try to bounce back from his first-round knockout loss last weekend to Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1), but it was taking that fight that led to the cancellation, according to MMA Big Show promoter Jason Appleton.

Appleton claims the Indiana Athletic Commission sanctioning the event denied Goodridge a license after fighting just a week previously, though the fight was in Japan.

Goodridge has lost five consecutive, before Mousasi losing by first-round Kimura submission  to Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (29-10) at Glory 10 in November 2008.

MMA Big Show had hinted that Sparks would be considered for the UFC with a win over Goodridge.  He’s undefeated, going four rounds for a unanimous decision over Johnathan Ivey (27-40) at RFL outside of Chicago June 27.  He’s a reigning titlist in the RFL.

Appleton has decided to cancell the other pro fights on the card, but the amature card will go on as planned at Belterra Saturday.

So, without knowing any of the fighters, why should you get out to as many local mixed martial arts events as possible?

It is simple! Local events and your support of them are the key to the future of this sport. If only friends and family of the amateur fighters or new pro fighters were to attend these events, the promoters wouldn’t be able to continue promoting fights due to financial reasons. Putting on a local MMA event is not cheap. The expenses include the purchase or rental of a cage or ring, rental of a venue, payroll, printing of fliers, tickets, and posters, sound, lighting, etc. As you can see, there is a lot that goes into putting on just one show, let alone a regular yearly schedule of shows.

Let’s discuss the fighters you would likely see at a local MMA event in your area. I am sure you already know that the skill level will be much lower than what is seen a a UFC event. This could be something that keeps you away; but, for me it is something that brings me to drive two hours to events such as MMA Big Show: Onslaught, which I attended November 28 at Belterra Casino in Indiana. If you only watch the most skilled of all MMMA athletes, then you are missing out on the true beauty of the sport. The rise from meager beginnings and very limited skill set to becoming a well-rounded top tier mixed martial artist.

This weekend I witnessed a few fighters that I believe will have a great future in the sport. Imagine getting to know Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) or tenth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10)  when they were young and just starting sambo and wrestling respectively.  Then being able to follow their careers to where they are now. It would be quite amazing, wouldn’t it?

Lightweight Chris Bennett (0-0), middleweigth Michael Dabe (0-0), and welterweight Brian Fransisco (0-0) are three amateur fighters that could succeed in a sport where so many fail.

Bennett is the MMA Big Show lightweight champ and, along with a very savy submission game, he showed quick hands in his win over Brian Karmolinksi (0-0) at Onslaught. He is 16-1 in amateur fights and says he would like to get 25 wins before going pro.  I found that refreshing in a world where so many are looking to go pro and make the cash fast, record be damned.

Dabe has a record of 3-2 in amateur fights after his win last weekend. It was not his record that impressed me, but rather his composure in the cage and his submission victory. He pulled off an arm triangle from the bottom  which we rarely see, especially against a well-trained fighter like Fransisco. His rise to the top of the sport will only be limited by his dedication.

Fransisco is only 15 with a record of 2-1 in amateur fights. His uncle is “Mojo” William Horne (5-2) and he gets to train with guys like “Mojo”, “Pitbull” Josh Souder (7-4) and Neal Rowe (2-2). He was upset with his loss, but, at 15 and surrounded by such sound fighters, sky is the limit for this young teenager.

I am now able to follow these fighters, who I got to meet and form relationships with and one day I will be able to say I watched the UFC champ back when he was an amateur.

You have this opportunity as well, right there in your own city. We even see pro fighters like “Merciless” Kevin Barkdull (1-2), who has the right attitude and seems to only be lacking a solid camp to train with better fighters in order to take his game to next level. These fighters need your support and can use the help in getting their names out there. They are looking to you, the fans of MMA, to help them get to the upper echelons.

I am going to be attending Ohio Xtreme Fighting: Crossroads In Dayton December 12 to watch the rise of some new talent. OXF is an organization based out of my hometown, Dayton, and run by former UFC fighter and my ex coach Michael Patt (12-4). I will get to see the following pro fights: Mitch Lyons (1-1) versus Doug Bowling (0-0), Thor Castillo (1-2) versus Joseph Inboden (2-2), and Justin Fletcher (0-1) versus Carson Gainey (2-6).

Castillo and Lyons are two fighters I believe can become top-level fighters. The others I know nothing about and look forward to learning something about them. There will also be 16 other fights that night. That is 19 fights for the small price of $20.00 for general admission or $25.00 for ringside. I think that is a great deal for fight fans. Not only do you get to see 19 fights, but you get to see and meet other MMA fans.

So, as you can see, at a local MMA fight you get to see more fights than a UFC or Strikeforce card and you get to watch the rise of the next big stars in mixed martial arts and even have the chance to become friends with these fighters. Right now local MMA is a hit or miss business for most promoters. They have to schedule fights and worry about low attendance due to college football games, NFL games, UFC, or Strikeforce fights, among many other things. It is in our hands, the fans of MMA, to keep this sport alive. Without a place for local fighters to test their skills this sport will fail due to lack of a steady stream of improving fighters.

Get out and support your local mixed martial arts organizations and tell your family and friends about the good time you have and the great fights you’ll see. Then call into MMA Gospel Radio and let us where you have gone to keep the future of MMA alive.

Tune in and call in to MMA Gospel Radio at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT every Saturday. MMA Gospel encourages listeners to call in to the show or join us in the live chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Former MMA Big Show middleweight champion “Mojo” William Horne (4-2) submitted “Merciless” Kevin Barkdull (1-2) in a rear naked choke at 4:01 of round one in the co-main event.

Cornwell entered the cage with the crowd going crazy while Browning entered amidst a barrage of boos. Browning used great footwork to avoid a few shots and then gave one of his own that dropped Cornwell. Browning jumped on top of him and ended up in half guard. Browning looked for an arm and, while defending, Cornwell gave up his back. Browning rolled him over and used rubber guard to look for a gogoplata, coming close to pulling it off. Browning switched to a triangle and then to a reverse triangle which ended the fight.

The fight between Horne and Barkdull hit the ground quick; and, Barkdull did a great job getting to butterfly guard. Horne worked to pass and made it to side mount where he postured up to unleash punches. Barkdull looked for a leg lock, but let it go as Horne took mount. Barkdull defended by giving up his back. It didn’t take long for “Mojo” to lock in the rear naked choke.

MMA Gospel Radio broadcasted live from MMA Big Show at Belterra Casino.   You can listen the broadcast in the archive at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Chad Edward contributed to this report.

Listen live and join the chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Browning is scheduled to fight Scott Cornwell (1-0) at MMA Big Show: Onslaught at Belterra Casino in Indiana November 28.  MMA Big Show promoter Jason Appletion told Fighters.com Friday morning that he has “no clue yet” whether the warrant will affect Browning’s ability to fight Cornwell at MMA Big Show.

Browning responded to the warrant on Facebook, posting:

“ha ha! just an accident! i thought my court date wasnt untill dec. but im getting it taken care of this week! untill then im on the run! fuck fuck fuck the police! o! and when i made that comment about killing that guy at the hospital and rapein his family they failed to mention why i said that. the male nurse punched …me in the face while I was in restraints like a bitch! so then i said that to him. As you can tell from the pic! and i never hit anyone at the hospital! i was just pushing them away because they were trying to restrain me”

Chad Edward contributed to this report.

Browning will matchup versus Scott Cornwell (1-0), who won his pro debut by submitting Charles Cooper (1-4) in the first round at MMA Big Show: Mayhem at Belterra Casino September 12.

At UFC Fight Night 18 in Nashville April 1, Browning was submitted in a guillotine choke by “Magrinho” Cole Miller (15-4).

Middleweight “Mojo” William Horne (3-2) will return from his disappointing 43-second knockout loss to “Bubba” Robert McDaniel (14-5) at MMA Big Show: Mayhem.

Horne will try to right his career versus “Merciless” Kevin Barkdull (1-1).  Barkdull was submitted in a choke by Daniel Head (6-2) at War in the Yard in Anderson, Indiana August 9.

Fighters.com will be live at Belterra Casino covering the fights November 28.

Doors at Belterra Casino will open at 7:00 PM local time.  Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

A veteran and champion of Cincinnati-based MMA promotion MMA Big Show, the welterweight Bowling has had a public feud with War Machine (9-3) after Bowling was forced to pull out of two scheduled fights with War Machine due to injury and War Machine subsequently vowed never to fight Bowling.

But, after War Machine lost a split decision to David Mitchell (7-0) at TPF1 in Lemoore, California October 8 and began his career in adult entertainment, Bowling apparently decided to move on.

Bowling KO’d IFL vet Seth Baczynski (11-6) in nine seconds at MMA Big Show at Belterra Casino March 7.

He’s expected to debut in Strikeforce in February or March, but, though his contract is exclusive to Strikeforce, will also be allowed to defend his title at MMA Big Show under certain conditions.  The term of the contract was not disclosed.

MMA Gospel Radio is rapidly emerging as the leader in MMA podcasts and the final word in all things MMA. From the UFC to shows near your hometown, MMA Gospel brings you up-to-the-minute news, rumors, live fighter interviews, fight results, and breakdowns of upcoming fights.

MMA Gospel Radio is hosted by Reverend Turk Vangel with co-hosts Drew Hall and Gary Friedman. Columnist Josh Turner also contributes editorials and opinions.

MMA Gospel Radio founder Reverend Turk Vangel started many years ago as a wrestler in junior high. This led him to the world of freestyle wrestling, which he loved due to the slams and the generally more aggressive style it presented.  He was lucky enough to compete in the AAU Junior Olympics, the Pan Am Games, and the freestyle nationals.  In 1993 he was introduced to the UFC with a video tape.  He watched everything he could get his hands on and became a fan of Royce Gracie (14-3-3) and “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1) over the years.

Eventually, the Reverend began to train in mixed martial arts to get a better understanding of the sport. He began training at Beavercreek Martial Arts, a Jorge Gurgel (13-5) affiliate school under professional fighter Michael Patt (12-4). There Turk studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.  His love for the ground game grew from there.

Reverend Turk would scour the Internet looking for MMA news and listen to podcasts until he decided that he needed to bring a show to the fans, something that was pure MMA and not comedy with some MMA thrown in to the show.  He started by doing small segments on Bengalsworld News Radio. This led to the birth of MMA Gospel Radio and the MMA Gospel Blog.  MMA Gospel Radio is now the top ranked MMA podcast online as voted on by the fans and the Reverend is looking to keep moving forward and giving the fans what they want.

Reverend Turk is married to a gorgeous wife, Mackenzie, and has a beautiful daughter named Lotus. When not covering mixed martial arts and interviewing fighters, he is a machinist and a welder that has worked for custom motorcycle companies such as Led Sled Customs and 138 Cycle Fabrication.  Now he spends his time working for the Air Force building prototypes for the Air Force Institute of Technology.  His loves, other than MMA, are his family, custom built bikes, and rat rods.

Drew has been an MMA fan since 2001 and has been training for a year-and-a-half in the arts of Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai underneath Nathan Fitch (1-1) at Son of Siam.  He is going back to school for his broadcasting degree and has written articles on popular MMA websites. His favorite MMA fighter is “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5).

Gary Friedman began his combat sports writing career in college at State University of New York at Fredonia where he wrote a boxing column called “In the Ring with Gary Friedman.”   Gary is a lifelong boxing fan who has become a huge MMA fan.

After attending UFC 1 in 1993, columnist Josh Turner knew he was hooked on the sport and began following MMA fighters and promotions.  Turner began training in Muay Thai in February 1997. In 2000, Turner began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Turner has trained at gyms including Hybrid Academy and Linxx Academy.

Although MMA is his great passion, Josh’s proudest accomplishment is his family.  As a proud father, Josh enjoys spending time with his daughter and attending her sporting events.  Josh is also a successful business owner and does consulting work as a business development coordinator.

Welcome Reverend Turk Vangel, Drew Hall, Gary Friedman, and Josh Turner to Fighters.com:

Reverend Turk: turk@fighters.com
Drew: drew@fighters.com
Gary: gary@fighters.com
Josh: josh@fighters.com

And tune-in here at Fighters.com on Saturday, October 31 at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT for MMA Gospel’s debut as the official voice of Fighters.com.  MMA Gospel encourages listeners to call in to the show or join us in the live chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Browning will debut at MMA Big Show Onslaught at Belterra Casino November 28 versus Scott Cornwell (1-0).

Browning was cut from the UFC after being arrested and charged with three counts of battery on a health care provider in Henderson, Nevada.  Browning had been admitted to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus, after taking 16 Klonopin pills in an attempt to harm himself.

At UFC Fight Night 18 in Nashville April 1, Browning was submitted in a guillotine choke by “Magrinho” Cole Miller (15-4).

Cornwell won his pro debut by submitting Charles Cooper (1-4) in the first round at MMA Big Show Mayhem at Belterra Casino September 12.

Doors at Belterra Casino will open at 7:00 PM local time.  Tickets will be available at Ticketmaster.

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.

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.

“I don’t go into fights worried about what they have. I work on what I have,” Horne said about his preparation for the submissions specialist McDaniel. He also told Fighters.com about his experience auditioning for The Ultimate Fighter reality television contest. “They want a few jackasses,” said Horne.

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!”

The big step up for Bowling was originally scheduled for MMA Big Show at Belterra 20 June, but Bowling broke his forearm in a workplace lathe accident and pulled out.

Appleton told Fighters.com Saturday, “[Bowling's hand has] been swollen ever since [the Plaisance fight]. Roger was honestly trying to hide his injury and was going to fight War Machine with one fucking hand, but this past week Roger was rolling around a bit and gently grazed [his training partner's] elbow and nearly fell to his knees in pain. So, everyone realized Roger was downplaying the injury. The doc called me yesterday and told me I’d be a fool to let Roger fight in that condition. One punch and Roger could rebreak all of his knuckles and be unable to continue.”

Appleton described the match-up as “on hold”, but War Machine told Fighters.com Saturday morning, “[Bowling] is a waste of time,” and added in a MySpace post, “I’m never going to set a fight up with [Bowling] again. [He] can have someone else hand [him his] first loss.”

War Machine originally wanted the fight in Tampa set at 175 pounds, but Bowling mandated the fight be at the Unified Rules welterweight limit of 170 pounds.

With the UFC and Strikeforce eyes watching, Bowling surely wanted to leave no doubt he could make welterweight.

Bowling has been replaced at XFC 9 by Orlando-based Mike Gomez (8-7). War Machine thanked Gomez “for stepping up and keeping a fellow fighter paid!”

Appleton didn’t say when Bowling will be able to fight again.

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.

Mayhem will be headlined by a lightweight fight between Team Jorge Gurgel‘s “Pitbull” Josh Souder (7-6), a one-time IFL vet, and Matt Traylor (2-0).

“Pitbull” comes in after losing a three-round UD to Jason Meaders (7-5) at Pryme Time MMA in Los Angeles 28 May.

Traylor TKO’d Clay Harvison (6-3) in 2:08 at KoKings MMA in Atlanta 20 June.

Tickets can be bought at Ticketmaster. Fighters.com will be live at Belterra Casino to report all the action 12 September.

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.

Wells will be Rees’s first challenge since those losses in the Octagon, and Rees knows the Gurgel-trained jiu-jitsu fighter will be going for the throat.

Wells has been AWOL for a stint, but won a unanimous decision over veteran Rhomez Bower (9-10-1) at Knockout Promotions in Louisville in July 2007.

Bowling injured his hand in a lathe accident at his day job, forcing him to reschedule an important test versus War Machine (8-2), formerly The Ultimate Fighter contestant John Koppenhaver. He knocked out Seth Baczynski (10-6) in nine seconds at MMA Big Show in Belterra last march March.

Plaisance, a 6’4″ 170-pounder, TKO’d Paul McEntee (0-1) at XFC 8 in Knoxville last April.

The card also features a clash of undefeated heavyweights “Country Boy” David Hess (1-0) versus “Lambchop” Steve Banks (3-0).

MMA Big Show continues to make Belterra Resort and Casino a it’s home and fans can purchase tickets for Saturday’s event through Ticketmaster.

“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.

Stepping in on two days’ notice, Mann was unable to defeat Welterweight Champion Bowling in a non-title bout.

After attempting a guillotine choke on Bowling, he got caught in Bowling’s guillotine and was forced to tap at 3:20 of the first round.

Mann was the final replacement for the originally-scheduled title challenger “Squeeze” Sam Morgan (18-10).  Morgan pulled out ten days before the match due to injury sustained in his loss to “Bang” Duane Ludwig (17-8) earlier in October at Strikeforce.

Amateur bouts rounded out the rest of the card.

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.”

The Main Event

“The very first thing I do is set my main event,” Appleton explained.  “I have an idea from the beginning of what local I want as the main event.  The challenge is making sure I can find a guy for him that’s available, that’s a fair fight, that, you know…that kind of thing.”

For his last show in Belterra, south of Cincinnati, 10 May, Appleton matched Cincinnati middleweight “Mojo” William Horne (2-0) versus TUF 3 runner-up “Bring the Pain” Josh Haynes (11-10).  What do you know?  “Mojo” won!

Appleton fawns over his local boys, promising Horne and Bowling will be on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

“I’m always, especially now, looking for guys who have some UFC experience.  It’s good for tickets and it’s good for the locals because, you know, there are a lot of…Cincinnati is such a hot house for up-and-coming guys, man.  And, they’re all fighting for me.”

Even though Morgan bailed on the fight, Appleton promised emphatically, “[Bowling] is going to fight a UFC vet.  I’ve got six phone calls out and a bunch of emails out.  I’m going to have a replacement and it’s going to be a UFC vet regardless, only because there is so much stuff to market Roger fighting a UFC vet.”

Appleton is grudgingly familiar with fighters who bail on fights.

“If I want to put on a 15-fight card, I’ll schedule 20 fights,” he claimed.

On the undercard of the Horne v Haynes fight, Appleton had a fighter check out of his hotel room and disappear overnight after he got a look at his opponent at the weigh-ins the day before.

“During fight week, [my wife] and I try to guess how many twisted ankles we’re going to have,” Appleton joked, calling the no-shows “tough guys in TapOut gear.”

“Once I have my main event, everything else typically falls into place,” Appleton explained.    “I call around.  I figure out what my main event is going to be and then I confirm everything with the commission.”

The Commission

Appleton detailed a litany of expenses every promotion incurs when promoting a mixed martial arts event, then added, “Not to mention you have to pay 5% of your gate to the commissions, plus other commission fees.”

Based in Cincinnati, MMA Big Show promotes events in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

“Trying to keep up with the differences between one commission and the other when you’re living in a tri-state, you know, it gets pretty hairy,” Appleton complained.   “There’s a huge difference between the Kentucky commission and the Ohio commission.”

Indiana doesn’t have an athletic commission sanctioning MMA; but, Appleton assured Fighters.com that he runs his Indiana events as though there is a commission.

“There are so many rules, laws, and regulations it’s not even funny.   Kentucky is definitely more lenient than Ohio, in every way,” said Appleton.

But, as MMA gains greater exposure, things are changing in Kentucky.

“Back in the day, if I had a fight card, if a fighter dropped out, I could find a last minute replacement, if someone’s ready.  Now, I have to submit my fight card in advance.  If I have a fighter drop out, I lose the fight,” Appleton lamented.

The Venue

“I set the venue tentatively,” Appleton spat into his plastic bottle.  “I’ll call the different venues and I’ll say, ‘Look, I’m looking to do an event.  What are your available dates over the next four months?’  I try to make sure none of my events are competing with the UFC, obviously.”

Appleton’s last two events have been held at Belterra Casino.  The Casino doesn’t charge for the venue, but takes the concessions profits and hopes spectators file into the casino when MMA Big Show lets out.  But, for the promotions’ two-year anniversary 1 November, MMA Big Show will return to the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

“Every venue is different.  The Convention Center, I pay for absolutely everything,” Appleton  chuckled, then emphasized, “Absolutely everything!  They keep concessions.  Their big thing is that they’re not set-up for shows like mine.  I pay out the wazoo to do events at the Convention Center.  Not only are you paying for the venue, which is expensive.  Um…you’re paying for everything.  All of my staff, police, ushers…everything I’ve got to supply myself.  The convention center doesn’t help me with a thing.”

Recently, MMA Big Show inked a deal with U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, the venue the UFC used for UFC 77, for four events in 2009.  Appleton expects the U.S. Bank Arena to assist him with promoting, organizing, and marketing MMA Big Show.

The Bottom Line

“I don’t make money unless I sell tickets,” Appleton boiled it down.  “To be honest, without sponsorship money, you’re not going to be able to make a profit as a promoter,” then added, “We’ve had very little sponsorship support.”

MMA Big Show has a television deal with the local CW affiliate, but receives no revenue from the deal.   “It’s good advertising,” Appleton explained.

But, “A lot of it boils down to ticket sales.  If I’ve got a bunch of local amateurs, the local amateur who, maybe he sold 100 tickets, you know, to friends and family and whatever, well obviously he’s got a fan base who wants to see him fight.”

It seems like the best thing you can do as a fighter is sell tickets.

“Man, I’ve never seen anyone sell tickets like [lightweight title challenger Chad Hinton (1-0)].  I have 600 total V.I.P. tickets for the November show.  They’re $55 each.  And, he’ll have 200 of them sold by the end of this weekend.  And, he wants another 200 to sell, which will take him another week.  And, he’s got 100 general admission tickets and he said he’s going to want more of those too.”

But, with sponsorships, MMA still has hurdles to jump.

Appleton explained, “When I first started, I had a lot of companies who were sponsoring all kinds of stuff, but they didn’t want to sponsor MMA because they didn’t want blood on their logo.  You know, and it was like…It’s MMA!  You know what I mean?  You’re going to bleed.

“I’ve been through so many people who’ve come to me and said, ‘I could sell sponsorships.’  And, I’m like, ‘Great.  I’ll give you 20%.’  And, then you never hear from them again.”

Appleton added, “House of Pain has been a sponsor for a little while now.  They’ve been on my fight mat and they’ve been real helpful.  I’ve got Fight Fuel.  They’ve been on my fight mat most recently.  I’ve got some sponsors, but I’m always looking.  But, at the same time, I’m only one man.”

“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.