The regional mixed martial arts scene is sometimes a funny place.
Over the span of one card, you can see a 20-year-old make his amateur debut, while also seeing a 37-year-old seasoned veteran compete inside of a cage. But no matter the age or experience level, just about every fighter shares the same goal: making it to the UFC.
The chances of obtaining that goal seem to be slimming for Cincinnati native Billy “Mojo” Horne (15-4), who is that 37-year-old seasoned veteran. Horne – who has been competing on the regional circuit since 2003 and made his professional debut in 2007 – has perhaps never looked better than he did in a dominant unanimous decision victory over Donta Wade (3-1) in the main event at Turf Wars 20 in Florence, Kentucky on Saturday night.
Horne, a member of the Cincinnati Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, has received just one taste of the “big show,” when he was brought in as a local opponent to sell tickets at Bellator 78 in Dayton in October 2012. He was supposed to lose to Trey Houston, who was 11-0 at the time and was one of Bellator’s biggest prospects. But nobody told Horne that he was supposed to lose, so he didn’t. In fact, he put on a dominant performance, eventually submitting Houston with a rear naked choke just over three minutes into the bout.
Many expected that Mojo would receive a shot with Bellator at that time, but he has yet to compete for the organization again. Instead, he has remained on the local scene, where he has racked up three more wins, including knocking Wade from the ranks of the unbeaten over the weekend. Horne spent over half of the fight in mount on top of Wade, who was unable to make it back to his feet and took some nasty shots from the veteran.
It’s not every day that you see a 37-year-old fighter make his way into a top-flight organization like the UFC for the first time, but then again, it’s not every day that you see a 37-year-old fighter as talented as Mojo. The UFC did recently sign 39-year-old heavyweight Richard Odoms, who makes his debut at UFC 177 later this month.
So Dana White, if you’re reading, it’s time to give Mojo his shot.