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September 28, 2012

Campbell welcomes challenge as outspoken Adkins predicts knockout on Oct. 6


[CES Press Release]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Sept. 27, 2012) – Gemiyale Adkins isn’t trying to tiptoe his way into the 155-pound division.

He’s looking to bust through the door and dominate immediately, starting next month when he faces established Providence lightweight Mike “The Beast” Campbell Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

“I’m coming to knock his ass out,” said Adkins (7-3, 3 KOs), a Philadelphia native and former middleweight who’ll fight at 155 pounds for the first time in his career next month on Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “Real Pain” Pay Per View mixed martial arts event, presented in association with June Entertainment.



“I don’t want him to think I’m just coming here to win; I’m coming to finish him, and it’s going to start from the first round all the way to the third. I’m coming to end it. No disrespect, but this is what we do. We fight. My right hand is Robitussin and my left hand is Nyquil. I’m coming to put his ass to sleep.”

Campbell (11-4, 7 KOs), who has won two consecutive fights and three of his last four, has heard such claims before, most notably a year and a half ago prior to his rematch against Mike Medrano, who disputed the result of their first fight – a first-round knockout by Campbell – and promised revenge. Campbell won the rematch, too, finishing Medrano within two minutes of the opening bell.

“Everyone has a plan until they get hit,” Campbell said. “Tell him to keep his hands up to make sure he doesn’t get knockout out first. I’ve been busting my ass training. I can’t wait for this fight. The only guys he’s knocked out are guys who are 0-5 or 1-0. He hasn’t been in there with the caliber of guys I’ve fought, or anyone with my level of skill. We’ll see if he can back up the talk.”

Both fighters are looking to make a major splash Oct. 6 in front of a worldwide audience on the undercard of a show headlined by the professional debut of former six-time World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) heavyweight champion Dave Bautista, who is starring in the upcoming film “The Man With The Iron Fists,” scheduled for release on Nov. 2.

Adkins has been itching to drop to 155 pounds following the advice of world-renowned trainer Greg Jackson, who thinks Adkins can become a world champion in the lightweight division.

“I plan on doing big things at 155 pounds,” Adkins said. “I used to fight at 185. I even used to fight at heavyweight, and I’m only 5-foot-5. Guys couldn’t take my power.”

Though this will be his first official fight at 155, this isn’t the first time Adkins has been forced to make a similar weight cut. He was scheduled to face Brazilian Gil de Freitas at a catch weight of 160 pounds on Aug. 25. The fight was postponed, but Adkins made the cut easily at the pre-fight weigh-in.

“I could’ve made 155 that day if I wanted to,” he said. “I’m prepared in every way to make the weight. I’m eating right, training, running – I’m eating clean, so I’ll still have my energy. I’m making this weight the right way, not just drinking protein shakes. I’m still eating. I’m ready to go. I’m just really anxious to handle business.”

Campbell’s game plan is simple – win his third consecutive fight against Adkins and “go from there.”

“I don’t ever plan on losing again,” he said. “Some guys get one or two wins and then let their ego get to them and start slowing things down. Not me. I’ve trained just as hard for this fight as I have for any fight. To win three in a row with CES would mean the world to me, especially at The Dunk. This would solidify it for me. I don’t think there’s anything better than that.

“Adkins has decent knockout power,” Campbell added, “but I don’t really see him being a threat to me at this point in my career. He’s still raw. He’s still new to this sport. He has some things to clean up and work on, unless he’s changed since the last time I saw him.”

Campbell last fought on Aug. 3 when he outworked Bombsquad veteran Don Carlo-Clauss over the final two rounds of their three-round fight to earn a unanimous-decision win, a fight that showcased Campbell’s transition from an unrestrained knockout artist to a more well-rounded fighter.

“I think I’m making better decisions. I understand what’s going on,” he said. “[Trainer] Tim Burrill told me before I was like a pit bull let off his leash. I’d just overwhelm people and eventually knock them out. Now I’m starting to become more of an elite fighter. I’m becoming smarter. I’m not making irrational decisions.

“I’m three moves ahead of my opponent at all times. I kind of forgot that in the first round against Clauss, but I was able to adapt and change things on the fly in the second and third rounds. That’s what an elite fighter does.”

Adkins hasn’t reached that level yet, but a win on Oct. 6 would make him an immediate force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division. Both sides have a lot to lose and plenty to gain.

“This is a big stepping stone for me,” Adkins said. “Mike is not at the bottom of the heap. He’s a physical fighter – a good wrestler with good strength. I’m not the type of fighter looking for a big name. I’m just here to destroy the man in front of me. It could be Mike. It could be Gil. I’m going to destroy any person they put in front of me in the 155-pound division.”

The Oct. 6 undercard features 13 fights, including four Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) veterans. Charleston, S.C., middleweight Chris McNally (5-4) will face former UFC title contender Dave Loiseau (20-10, 13 KOs); former UFC welterweight Marc Stevens (14-7, 6 KOs) of Lorraine, N.Y., will face dangerous Providence native Luis Felix (7-6, 4 KOs); Boston native John “Doomsday” Howard (17-7, 6 KOs), a veteran of seven UFC shows will take on middleweight Brett Chism (16-11, 7 KOs) of Valdosta, Ga.; and former UFC welterweight Chad Reiner (29-13, 9 KOs) of Omaha, Neb., will face Pawtucket, R.I., veteran Keith Jeffrey (8-2).

The remainder of the undercard is littered with Top 10 regional fighters, including a dynamic showdown between No. 1 ranked 145-pounder Saul “The Spider” Almeida (12-2) of Framingham, Mass., and No. 4 ranked Calvin Kattar (12-2, 6 KOs) of Methuen, Mass. Pawtucket’s Todd “The Hulk” Chattelle (10-7, 8 KOs), the former CES MMA middleweight champion, will end his five-month layoff and face Boulder, Colo., native Chandler Holderness (9-3, 4 KOs) in a bout originally scheduled for June before Chattelle suffered an arm injury during training camp. In the 205-pound division, Providence’s Greg Rebello (13-4, 7 KOs), No. 3 in the northeast, will look to get back on track against Chris Guillen (13-12, 1 KO) of St. George, Utah.

“Real Pain” also features another battle between two Top 10 fighters, this time in the heavyweight division with No. 3 Josh Diekmann (12-4, 8 KOs) of Groton, Conn., facing No. 5 Tyler King (4-1, 2 KOs), a former NFL offensive lineman from Norwood, Mass. King and Diekmann actually fought on the same card in separate bouts in Rhode Island back in February; King beat Eric Bedard while Diekmann lost to former UFC contender Josh Hendricks.

Also on the undercard, No. 6 ranked middleweight Brennan Ward (3-0, 2 KOs) of Providence will face Shedrick “Chocolate Thunder” Goodridge (2-2) of Rahway, N.J.; Providence’s Nate Andrews (1-0) will battle Leon Davis (2-0) of Springfield, Mass., in an interstate welterweight showdown; bantamweight Andre Soukhamthath (2-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket, R.I., will face Rob Costa (2-0) of Fall River, Mass.; and Waltham, Mass., welterweight Tyson Chartier (3-2, 1 KO) will face Kevin Horowitz (4-4) of Queens.

Tickets are available at www.cesmma.com or www.ticketmaster.com and are priced at $20.00, $35.00, $55.00, $75.00, $125.00 and $250.00. The show will also air live on Direct TV Pay Per View for $29.95 ($39.95 in high definition) – available starting this week – beginning at 8 p.m., or through Livestream via www.bautistamma.com in high definition.

– CES –

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