Roger Bowling (fighter)
| Roger Bowling | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 8, 1982 Neville, Ohio |
| Other names | Relentless |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division |
Lightweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 70.0 in (178 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Team | Team Vision |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 18 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Amateur boxing record | |
| Total | 9 |
| Wins | 9 |
Roger Bowling (born May 8, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Bowling has also formerly competed for the UFC and Strikeforce.
Bowling was born and raised in the small village of Neville, Ohio, and is the oldest of three siblings. Bowling's early life was difficult as his father was a drug addict who was often in and out of jail while Bowling's mother had to work two jobs, which including driving a school bus, to support the family. Bowling was athletic playing sports such as football and baseball, but his athletic activities were limited by a lack of transportation. He often got into fights and had been looking forward to leave the town. When he was 18 years old he went to live with his girlfriend and go to a vocational school to learn welding. Bowling has a background in amateur boxing with an undefeated 9-0 record, having competed and dominated his opponents in Toughman-like competitions. Bowling later joined a gym where he was introduced him to mixed martial arts.
After joining the MMA gym, Bowling had his first fight against an opponent who, at 6'6, towered over the 5'9 Bowling. Despite the huge size disadvantage, Bowling won the bout and broke his opponent's nose. Bowling competed as a Middleweight for all of his amateur fights, and held an amateur record of 3-1.
From 2007 to 2009, Bowling built his career fighting for the MMA Big Show, a regional promotion known for pitting up and comers against UFC veterans to springboard talent. He earned the Welterweight Championship and carried the belt until MMA Big Show promoter and manager Jason Appleton signed Bowling to a three-year deal with Strikeforce.
On June 20, 2009 Bowling was set to fight the controversial former UFC Welterweight War Machine, formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver. However Bowling broke his hand a couple of weeks before the event and was not cleared to fight. The two agreed to fight later in the year. Before the rescheduled match up, Roger defeated Devon Plaisance via TKO in July 2009. Bowling was again set to fight War Machine in the main event of XFC 9 in Tampa, Florida on September 5, however, Bowling was again forced to withdraw due to injury.
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