The Rise of Ohio Mixed Martial Arts

A look at the bright future of MMA fighters from Ohio

It’s no secret that there are certain states throughout the United States that are well-known for certain sports. The state of Ohio is known for some of the best prep sports in the country. Year after year, some of the best football players in the country leave high schools in Ohio and set their sights on gridiron glory in college, and many even achieve success in the NFL. Similarly, Ohio has produced a host of legendary athletes in other sports as well, giving rise to track legend Jesse Owens, golfer Jack Nicklaus, Ken Griffey Jr., Pete Rose, NFL coaching legend Paul Brown, the only two-time Heisman trophy winner, Archie Griffin, and numerous other historic athletic greats. More recently, Ohio has given rise to LA Dodgers All-Star pitcher Chad Billingsley, Green Bay Packers linebacker AJ Hawk, Florida Gators football coach Urban Meyer, basketball star OJ Mayo, and boxing champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik. Ohio has quite an athletic pedigree, to say the least.

Already the state of Ohio has some established fighters in the world of mixed martial arts. Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman were trailblazers in the early days of the sport and a whole crop of other fighters picked up where they left off. Mentor, Ohio native Jason Dent was a castmate on Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter and has been familiar face in the Octagon. Forrest “The Meat Cleaver” Petz is another Ohioan that has been a mainstay in the Octagon, most recently at UFC Fight Night 22. Most notably, former St. Edward’s High School wrestler Gray Maynard will face UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar for the UFC title on January 1st, 2011 and Rich Franklin, the former UFC Middleweight Champion who is quite the fan favorite.

Though I have mentioned a host of top-notch athletes, I have not yet begun to chronicle those under the radar in the realm of mixed martial arts. As a starter, the world of mixed martial arts has a nice feeder program when one considers the fine wrestlers that come out of the state of Ohio. Not only do the high school wrestlers from the state compete with the best in the country as individuals, year in and year out the wrestling teams from St. Edward High School (Lakewood) and Graham High School (St. Paris) are among the top 5 in the country. At the college level, the Ohio State Wrestling team has been a force to be reckoned with under coach Tom Ryan. The Buckeyes have finished as high as runner-up at the NCAA Wrestling tournament, with several individual National Champions and All-Americans. Of these top wrestlers, St. Edward and Ohio State graduate Lance Palmer has decided that a move to the sport of mixed martial arts is in his best interest. On top of joining Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male (based in Sacramento, California), Palmer will be assisting with Virginia Tech’s talented wrestling team. This double-duty will no doubt only help Lance, as Team Alpha Male will help him to develop striking and submission skills, with his efforts at Virginia Tech helping to keep his wrestling skills sharp. Other Buckeyes that I feel could make the jump to mixed martial arts are 2-time NCAA Heavyweight Champion Tommy Rowlands and fellow 2-time NCAA Champion Jeff (J) Jaggers. Although less decorated, former Buckeye Alex Picazzo has the explosive strengths and solid takedown defense that could make him a successful mixed martial artist.

"Relentless" Roger Bowling will headline the October 22nd Strikeforce Challengers event.

Though it can certainly be an asset, success on the NCAA wrestling mat is not a prerequisite for success inside the cage. In fact, there are many fighters that hail from the state of Ohio that are currently achieving success in MMA in regional promotions that do not have All-American wrestling laurels. One such fighter is Chris Lozano, who will make his major promotion debut at Bellator 31. Lozano (who fights for the Cleveland-area’s Strong Style Fight Team) has taken on UFC veterans previously, and will look to continue his undefeated streak inside the cage against judo specialist Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Lozano’s strength is his diverse striking attack, which utilizes muay thai, kickboxing, boxing, and karate in equal parts. Lozano’s last fight saw him defeat UFC veteran Jason Dent by doctor’s stoppage. I was cageside for that fight, and Lozano’s slick strikes and high level of cardio made it difficult for the more-experienced Dent to get into his gameplan at all. Lozano pushed the pace and looked very close to ending the fight, but the granite-chinned Dent wouldn’t succumb. Though he tells me he is comfortable with his ground game, Lozano shows a nice takedown defense, which allows him to keep fights in his comfort zone: on the feet, where Chris can unleash his rangy attacks.

Another Ohioan that is on the brink of making waves on the national MMA scene is Cincinnati’s Roger Bowling. Bowling got his start in the Cincinnati area and has since moved on to bigger and better things, last competing for Strikeforce’s Challengers brand and defeating a tough Bobby Voelker back in May. Bowling boasts a perfect 8-0 record as a professional with only one decision. Bowling is a tough fighter, but more than that, he is a likeable person and is likely to be a fan-favorite in whatever organization decides to make him a star.

Also hailing from the Cincinnati area is Daniel Straus, who is an experienced fighter, despite his age. Straus is 26 and already has an astonishing 16 professional fights under his belt. With a background in wrestling, Straus has been on a roll and won his last 10 matches since being defeated by Bellator veteran Pat Curran. Straus’ last match came on the star-studded Shark Fights card in September, where he defeated WEC veteran Karen Darabedyan. By winning over a tough opponent on a high-profile card, Straus put himself in a very good position to sign with one of the top MMA promotions in the United States.

Fighting out of the Akron area is North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) Middleweight Champion Alan (AJ) Aeschlimann. Aeschlimann is another fighter with a background in wrestling, placing in the Ohio state wrestling tournament. AJ brings a dangerous stand-up game and some thunderous ground and pound to the cage, in addition to a submission game that is rapidly improving. As an amateur, Aeschlimann handed Chris Lozano his only career loss at the end of 2008.

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Fighting out of Jason Dent’s GriffonRawl Gym, Donny “Eagle Eye” Walker is another fighter on the rise out of the state of Ohio. Walker boasts a 13-6 professional record with 6 straight wins and his latest victory over dangerous submission specialist Mike Nesto for the NAAFS Featherweight title. Walker is a gritty fighter, who is a police officer outside of the cage. Walker is a cerebral fighter, that takes a solid gameplan into his fights, and then uses his big-fight experience to stay cool under pressure and execute his gameplan. Rumor has it that Walker is drawing interest from the WEC and Bellator, so his name may be a household name before long.

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Not to be outdone by the boys, Jessica Eye is rapidly making her mark on the faces of her opponents as well as in the world of mixed martial arts. Jessica has an undefeated pro record at 2-0 after a 5-0 amateur career and was most recently the headliner of Ohio’s first all-female fight card, the NAAFS’s Eve of Destruction. Eye fights for Strong Style Fight Team and has an enormous fan base. She is one of the more popular fighters in the NAAFS and even has her own signature shirt (pictured to the right). Eye uses a well-rounded attack, with an outstanding dirty boxing and clinch game, as well as a dominant ground and pound attack. Much like Donny Walker, there has been some buzz about Jessica moving on to compete in either the next Bellator women’s tournament or for Strikeforce in the near future.

A teammate of Eye’s that is making some noise in the Ohio mixed martial arts scene is Strong Style’s Stipe Miocic. Stipe is a huge heavyweight that moves like a much smaller man. He has powerful strikes in his hands and feet and is tough to take to the mat. Miocic’s cardio is another strong suit, as he never seems to tire with his unrelenting pace. One can only imagine that Stipe is a win or two away from garnering some interest in the nationwide MMA promotions, and the interest would be well deserved.

With the previously mentioned fighters leading the charge (as well as fighters like Brian Rogers, Billy Vaughan, Dan Spohn and John Hawk) the state of Ohio will be well represented in the sport of mixed martial arts for years to come.

By Curt Heinrichs
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer