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April 3, 2012

CES Press Release--All work, no play--


Chattelle drowns out the hype as he prepares for the fight of a lifetime

LINCOLN, R.I. (April 3, 2012) – The hype began the moment Todd Chattelle announced he’d be defending his title against Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) veteran John “Doomsday” Howard at the Twin River Event Center on April 13th.

The only one not buying into it is Chattelle himself, who has no choice but to treat this like just another fight, even if it turns out to be the biggest of his career.

“That stuff is for the media and everyone else to worry about,” Chattelle said. “I’m not falling for it.

“There’s no hype. This is going to be like any other fight. He’s a human being. I bleed, he bleeds, he’s a good a fighter, I’m a good fighter – we’re going to bang it out on April 13th.”

Next week’s showdown against Howard (15-7, 4 KOs) will be Chattelle’s first defense of his Classic Entertainment & Sports middleweight championship, which he captured in November with a win over Brett Oteri. The five-round main event will headline CES’ mixed martial arts show, “Never Surrender,” on Friday, April 13th, 2012 at Twin River Casino.

The Pawtucket, R.I., native is riding a four-fight win streak and could move one step closer to a major payday at the top of the MMA food chain with a win over Howard. The pressure’s on, but Chattelle (10-6, 8 KOs) has grown accustomed to the workload thanks to an intense training camp with some of the top names in the northeast, including UFC veteran Tom Lawlor and Rhode Island’s Greg Rebello, who’s currently No. 2 in the region among light heavyweights.

“The pressure is nothing because there’s pressure every time I step foot in the gym,” Chattelle said. “Plus, my brothers and I have been competitive our whole lives, but you’re training everyday with the best, and you get tapped out, or get caught, or someone takes you down and makes you look stupid, you don’t like it.

“You’ve got to go hard every day.”

With advice from fighters such as Lawlor, who’s been on six UFC undercards since 2008, Chattelle is confident he can handle the pressure when he faces Howard in what could be a career-defining bout for both fighters. Furthermore, Chattelle attended Howard’s UFC debut in 2009 in Las Vegas, so he’s followed his opponent’s career closely. The Boston native was released by the UFC in July after losing three consecutive bouts, but is looking to get back to the sport’s premier stage, beginning next Friday in Chattelle’s backyard.

For “The Hulk,” timing is everything; his career has risen to new heights within the past year, and his training has been stronger and more productive than ever, due in large part to the environment at Tri-Force MMA in Pawtucket, where he and dozens of other local fighters work under the tutelage of Pete Jeffrey and Keith Jeffrey, both of whom will be on the undercard April 13th.

Chattelle has also spent time fine-tuning his wrestling with Providence middleweight Brennan Ward (1-0, 1 KO), a former standout at Johnson & Wales University who won his professional debut in February and will face New York veteran Harley Beekman (4-0, 2 KOs) next Friday at Twin River.

“I told Brennan the other day how lucky he is because he has all of this training at his disposal,” Chattelle said. “I’ve been looking for that for 10 years and I’ve finally found it.

“We didn’t always have those resources back then, but I’m thankful for it now, even if I’m a little older. The timing is perfect; this is going to be my toughest test, so it’s only right I’m getting the best and toughest training of my life. These guys push you and keep you focused. They’re always there for you. They’re like family.

“I used to get anxiety stepping into the cage, but I don’t get anxious anymore because I know I’m getting the best training possible. That anxiety is gone.”

So is the initial awe of facing one of his biggest inspirations in mixed martial arts. There’s a mutual respect between he and Howard, but once the bell rings April 13th Chattelle will be seeking more than validation from a lifelong hero; he’s aiming for a victory that could change the course of his career.

“[Retired UFC veteran] Jorge Rivera is one of the reasons I got into mixed martial arts, and when I sparred with him for the first time I was gun shy because I looked up to him,” Chattelle said. “I wasn’t myself when I sparred him.

“That won’t happen with anyone else. I won’t walk in there star-struck next week.”

Tickets for “Never Surrender” are $35.00, $55.00, $100.00 and $125.00 and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.cesmma.com orwww.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.

The undercard features a light heavyweight showdown between Cody Lightfoot (6-2, 4 KOs) of Somerset, N.H., and White Plains, N.Y., veteran Mike Stewart (6-3, 2 KOs) in addition to a lightweight battle between Pawtucket’s Tom Evans (2-0, 1 KO) and Dominic Warr (1-2) of Maynard, Mass.

Pete Jeffrey (5-4, 2 KOs) of Pawtucket will face Lucas Cruz (3-0) of Boston in a lightweight bout while his brother, Keith Jeffrey (6-2-1), will face Plymouth, Mass., welterweight Chip Moraza-Pollard (6-3, 4 KOs) of the Cape Cod Fighting Alliance. The undercard also includes a battle between 175-pounders Abe Pitrowski (5-1, 2 KOs) of Pawtucket and Nick Drummond (5-0) of Brockton, Mass., and Zach Costello (1-0) of Scituate, Mass., will face Waltham, Mass., newcomer Sergii Muslienko in a welterweight bout. Bantamweight Dinis Paiva Jr. (1-2) of East Providence, R.I., will be on the card in a separate bout.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Never Surrender.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance).

– CES –
We will be there live getting all the info and great pictures for you guys...read all about the card with our full teaser here.

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