CageCraze.com was live once again from the 8 Seconds Saloon in Indianapolis, Indiana for Legends of Fighting 43: WILD THANG.  The night’s card was stacked with local Midwest talent and long time boxing, now MMA fighter Eric “Butterbean” Esch, along with UFC Vet Chris “The Exorcist” Price. The night’s fights were dedicated to fighter Jeremy “Wild Thang” Ashley who passed away this time last year.  After a ten bell salute and a moment of silence the fights are set to begin.

Amateur Bouts:

Brian Woods Vs. Joe Rainey 155lbs

Rainey comes out the aggressor landing the significant shots from the feet before Woods looks to take the fight to the ground.  After a bodylock takedown Rainey is forced to work from his back and after taking a few shots he scrambles into Woods for a takedown. Rainey shoots in but  is caught in a tight guillotine ending the fight by tapout 1:06 into the first round.

Chris Bottoms vs. Craig Anderson 145lbs

Bottoms finishing Anderson

Both fighters come out looking tentative and miss with consecutive head and leg kicks.  After getting out some beginning jitters the fighters start to settle down and engage into a clinch against the cage.  Bottoms is able to slam Anderson with a body lock and immediately passes to mount where he looks to set up a head and arm triangle.  Bottoms transitions to a triangle from top but rolls to his back before he locks it up and Anderson is able to stay on top before the round comes to a close.  Round 2 begins with Bottoms getting a quick takedown as Anderson comes in swinging he then immediately passes into full mount and starts to rain down punches.  Anderson is able to push off the cage and reverse the position and works short shots from within Bottoms guard.  Bottoms sweeps Anderson into full mount and swings punches from top to end the 2^nd round.  Craig Anderson is unable to come out for the third round.  Sean Bottoms wins by verbal submission (could not continue).

Lloyd Thornton vs Joey Holloway 130lbs

Thornton comes out swinging coaxing Holloway to shoot to avoid damage but leaves his neck exposed and is caught in a guillotine choke 32 seconds into the first round.  Thornton wins by tapout at :32 round 1.

Fight of the Night

Luis Guerra vs. Daniel Blackburn 145lb Amateur Title Fight

Guerra's Ground & Pound

Blackburn rushes in looking for the takedown after some jabs miss their mark but is unsuccessful and the fighters work from the clinch.  Guerra is able to change his level and get a trip takedown from the double-underhook clinch and forces Blackburn into a turtled position against the cage while working short shots to the body.   Guerra works Blackburn to his back and lands some hard shots before the end of the round.  To begin round 2 Blackburn lunges in with a right straight and Guerra answers with a short over the top punch that works into a clinch position.  After a scramble against the cage which Blackburn almost takes the back Guerra is able to come up on top into side control.  Blackburn scrambles to the feet and shoots in to Guerra but is met with a forceful sprawl that prevents him from advancing.  Guerra works some dirty boxing from the clinch to end the second round.  The final round begins with Guerra engaging the clinch and snapping Blackburn into a front headlock position.  Guerra smashes Blackburn to his back and works into side control using constant pressure and short punches to the body and head and that ends the round.  The fight goes all three rounds and to the judge’s score cards for unanimous decision 30-27 for Luis Guerra.

Professional Bouts:

Josh Kinser vs. James Baumgardner 160lbs Catchweight

Kinser comes out looking to utilize his jab but Baumgardner stays out of range looking to work a kick heavy standup attack.  Baumgardner circles away after a clinch and catches Kinser behind the ear with a looping right punch and sends Kinser to a knee and Baumgardner capitalizes and follows up with 3 more rights that render Kinser unconscious. James Baumgardner is declared the winner by KO at 1:44 in round 1.

Tony Alvey vs. Aaron Miller 155lbs

Alvey comes out swinging wildly which prompts Miller to start swinging wild too. After  they get that out of their system they work into a clinch with Miller taking Alvey to the ground. Soon after passing to mount and landing a hard punch Alvey gives up the back Miller is able to sink in the rear naked choke and forces Alvey to tap at 1:20 in round number 1.

Matthew Esch vs. Danny Surface 205lbs

Surface takes down Esch

Surface coming out landing some nice leg kicks to the outside of the lead leg of  Esch then in a feat of pure strength lifts Esch up and walks him across the cage and slams him into his corner.  Surface lands hard knees from side control before passing to mount and landing a flurry of punches that force referee Rob Hinds to call an end to the bout at 1:12 into round 1.  Danny Surface is awarded the win via tapout (punches) at 1:12 in round 1.

Jeremy Pender vs Matt Wilson 140lbs

Both fighters come out looking to strike with Pender landing a hard leg kick that sets up his hands that land hard and stun Wilson into taking a shot.  Pender quickly takes the back and gets the rear naked choke 52 seconds into the round that sends Wilson to sleep.  Pender wins via technical submission (rear naked choke) 0:52 in round 1.

Cory Mahon vs. Ryan McIntosh

Mahon's finishing RNC

Cory shoots in quick and slams McIntosh to the ground into his corner.  McIntosh works from his back and looks to secure a kimura.  Mahon lands hard body shots while McIntosh locks on to the arm. McIntosh lets and Mahon postures up and lands a few shots before standing up and passing to half guard.  Mahon lands hard elbows from half guard and passes to side control where he forces McIntosh into a scramble and takes the back. After getting the hooks and softening McIntosh up he secures the rear naked choke and gets the tap near the end of the first round.  Cory Mahon wins via submission at 3:44 into round one.

Co-Main Event

Christopher Price vs. Ron Carter

Bother fighters looking to strike and waste no time in doing so after some exchanges Price shoots in for a takedown against the cage and gets Carter down into side control before he rolls and is caught with an elbow from Price to the back of the head.  Price is warned for the foul and the action resumes.  Price lands a combo that stuns Carter and forces a shot, Price is able to take the back and sink in the rear naked choke.  Price wins via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:58 in round one.

Main Event

Erich Esch vs. Deon West Super Duper Heavyweight

West takes down "Butterbean"

West looks to clinch and takedown Esch early and does so against the cage he works to half guard and lands some hard punches to the head of Esch.  West passes to side control and presses Esch into the cage. West lands punches and looks up to the ref pleading for him to stop the fight but the action continues until the round ends.  Round 2 begins much like the first with West pressing Esch into the cage until the ref breaks them up.  The pressing match against the cage continues after the action restarts as both fighters look to be gassed and content to stay clinched against the cage. The clinch against the cage and restarting continues to happen for the rest of the round.  Round 3 doesn’t happen because West is unable to answer the bell.  Erich “Butterbean” Esch is awarded the win due to West not being able to continue.

Quick Results:

Amateurs:

Brian Woods defeated  Joe Rainey via Tapout due to Guillotine Choke in 1:06 of the 1^st Round

Chris Bottoms defeated Craig Anderson via Verbal Submission in 3:00 of the 1^st Round

Lloyd Thorton defeated Joey Holloway via Tapout due to Guillotine Choke in 0:22 of the 1^st Round

Luis Guerra defeated Daniel Blackburn via Unanimous Decision (30-27)

Professionals:

James Baumgardner defeated Josh Kinser via KO in  1:44 of the 1^st Round

Aaron Miller defeated Tony Alvey via Tapout due to Rear Naked Choke in 1:20 of the 1^st Round

Danny Surface defeated Matthew (Caleb) Esch via Tapout due to Strikes in1:12 of  the 1^st Round

Jeremy Pender defeats Matt Wilson via Rear Naked Choke in 0:52 of the 1^st Round

Cory Mahon defeats Ryan McIntosh via Tapout due to Rear Naked Choke in 3:44 of the 1^st Round

Co-Main Event:

Christopher Price defeated Ron Carter via Tapout due to Rear Naked Choke in 1:58 of the 1^st Round

Eich  Esch defeats Deon West via Verbal Submission in 5:00 of the 2^nd Round

Press Release

MMA BIG SHOW PRESENTS LOCAL FAVORITES CHRIS BENNETT, MOJO HORNE, AND TJ BALL
AS THEY PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE AT “ALL OR NOTHING”

Event to take place live at Belterra Casino Resort & Spa on July 17th

Indiana (USA): MMA Big Show, one of the top fight promotions in the Midwest, will present its next exciting event, “ALL OR NOTHING,” which will take place on July 17th at Belterra Casino Resort & Spa in Indiana. In the main event, big-time local favorite Mojo Horne (7-2) will face one of his toughest tests to date, as he tangles with extremely experienced American Top Team product Lucas Lopes (19-8, fifteen finishes). Also featured on the card will be rising young local prospect “The Samurai” Chris Bennett (0-1 pro, 18-1 amateur), as he attempts to capture his first pro win from Brad Smith (1-1). Another notable local showcased on the fight card will be T.J. Ball (1-1), who will be looking to increase his pro experience against Danny “The Hammer” Surface (3-2). And making his return to Big Show will be Scott Cornwell (1-1), who made his Big Show debut last fall against UFC veteran Junie “The Lunatic” Browning (4-3). Tickets for “ALL OR NOTHING” are priced at $25, $45, and $75, and are available through Ticketmaster, as well as http://www.mmabigshow.com/. 21 and over only, please.

A training partner of Rich Franklin and a former MMA Big Show Middleweight Champion, Mojo Horne was glad to put 2009 behind him, as he suffered the first losses of his pro career. However, he ended the campaign on a high note, as he submitted Kevin Barkdull in the first round at November’s “ONSLAUGHT” event. Now back to his winning ways, Horne is looking to target his title once again in 2010. Standing in his way will be extremely experienced veteran Lucas Lopes. A veteran of 27 MMA fights, Lopes has
fought well-known competitors Sean Salmon and StrikeForce fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, and has defeated UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves and former UFC fighter Antonio “Samuray” Mendes. Lopes is on a four-fight winning streak, including two straight wins in StrikeForce. Lucas is coming off a KO victory over Robert “Bubba” McDaniel, who previous defeated Mojo via ref stoppage after Horne’s nose was broken. This is Mojo’s opportunity to, in a way, avenge his loss to McDaniel, and come out ahead of a highly experience ATT fighter. Certainly, this will be a difficult test for Horne, but he’s ready to go out there and prove that not only can he beat a veteran like Lopes, he is deserving of a shot at “his” belt. “I’m hoping that if I win this fight, that I’ll be able to fight for my title again. From there, once I get my title back, Jason says he has some plans for me. So I’m excited about that.” What does he think about facing a competitor like his opponent? “I’ve seen some footage on him. He looks like more of a standup fighter. Don’t know much about his ground. The fight footage on him doesn’t show much about the ground. But I’m a firm believer in fighting the fight, not the fighter. So I’m just gonna go in there and do my thing.” And to the fans, Mojo had this to say: “I’m going to do my best for you guys, as I always do. Hopefully, I get the KO or submission, and everyone get’s their money’s worth.”

“The Samurai” Chris Bennett built a name for himself with MMA Big Show fans with his incredibly exciting fights. A real crowd-pleaser, he turned professional earlier this year after piling up eighteen amateur victories. Bennett, currently a 0-1 as a pro, is looking to rebound after a devastating loss to American Top Team’s Tony Simms and prove that he’s a serious contender against Brad Smith at “ALL OR NOTHING.” Additionally, T.J. Ball will be fighting the very tough Danny “The Hammer” Surface, who will be making his pro debut. Both fighters recently dropped to 185 lbs. from their former heavyweight status. As a result, this is going to be a war between two muscle-packed fighters looking to dominate.

Fearsome fighter Scott Cornwell put on a show in the main event of Big Show’s “ONSLAUGHT” in November of 2009. is a Cincinnati native who started learning Tae Kwon Do at the age of three under Master David Huffstutler. As a teenager, Cornwell quickly progressed through the ranks, and currently holds a 3rd degree black belt, winning several local and national tournaments. He also had a very impressive high school wrestling career, where he competed for multiple national teams in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. His amateur mixed martial arts career began in 2007 while training under 4th degree black belt and renowned MMA instructor Rob Gerhardt, and he won his first five amateur fights, amassing an impressive record of 7-2. In preparation for his pro debut, Scott began additional training with Rod Housley at Team Vision while continuing to train and teach at Hamilton-Fairfield Tae Kwon Do. In short, Scott is an excellent striker and wrestler, and is well-versed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Fans can bet on these fights through the MMA Big Show iPhone Fantasy Better, and can also watch the event LIVE on R&R Channel 354 on DirecTV at 8 PM EST on the 17th.

In addition, the Big Show Gym, a 19,000 square foot MMA & Fitness Facility will be opening on June 27th in Eastgate Mall in Batavia, OH. This new facility will opening softly on the 27th and will host a grand opening event approximately 30 days later, once all of the equipment and build-out has been completed. This gym will feature a full strength and cardio center, full MMA cage (the actual MMA Big Show Cage), BJJ mats, Muay Thai center, and will host a multitude of training and group classes such as Extreme Fitness Boxing, Zumba, yoga, aerobics and much more. Please visit http://www.bigshowgym.com/ for more information.

The MMA Big Show is currently looking for both national sponsors for its live national broadcasts as well as the gym.

The full fight card for “ALL OR NOTHING” includes:

Mojo Horne vs. Lucas Lopes
T.J. Ball vs. Danny Surface
Chris Bennett vs. Brad Smith
Scott Cornwell vs. James Baumgardner
Brendon Hampton vs. Josh Curry
Tyler Riley vs. Shannon Casey
Trevor Riley vs. Chris Anness
Joe Pegg vs. Marcus Lewis
Dave Coghlan vs. Eric Grifford
Jordan Seals vs. Jimmie Allen
Nikolas Hoobler- Scherff vs. Korey Comptan
TJ Wash vs. Dallas Rice
BJ Wulff vs. Justin Bruster
Shannon Powell vs. Phil Colston
Denver Myers vs. John Risley
Kirk Miller vs. Dom Steele
William Kimrey vs. Ryan Holubek
Michael Ormes vs. David Smallwood
Vic Sims vs. Colt Helton

Fight card is subject to change.