In spite of losing the original main event featuring Todd "Hulk" Chattelle then losing the Mike "The Beast" Cambpell fight, CES has still put together a phenomenal card with a ton of both established and up and coming talent. There are alot of guys on this card that you may definitely see on the national scene at some point in the next few years (if not months!). This all professional show has the makings of being one of the most exciting of 2012. There will be a booth selling bracelets to fight Epidermolysis Bullosa in the lobby. It is a little known disease that is very deadly. This cause is very dear to Andre Soukhamthath who lost his son to this, so PLEASE don't only buy ONE bracelet, buy FIVE, they are 1$ each. Everyone in attendance should buy at least ONE. That is not asking too much for a great cause! Now onto the teaser...
Kicking off the night will be Wai Kru MMA veteran Nick Drummond (3-0) coming off a long layoff taking on Sergii Musiienko (Pro Debut) from Dragon's Lair. Nick is from a great school and has shown he is well versed in both striking and on the ground. He has yet to step up big in competition but hopefully this will be a good test for Nick as Sergei comes from the same school as Saul Almeida and Pedro Gonzales, two #1 ranked Northeast fighters!
Rukus fighting Academy's former amateur standout, Joe "Lights Out" Pingitore (1-0) will look to get another win in front of his home crowd as the Johnston, RI. product steps into the cage for the second time at CES against newcomer Alan Beeman. Joe is always exciting and always looking for a big standup finish despite owning a good ground game as well. Definitely look for Joe to showcase his skills here against this late replacement for original opponent, Franklin Isabel. Don't Blink in this one! Joe loves to knock people out!
Chandler Holderness (8-3) out of Wai Kru was origially supposed to fight in the main event vs Todd "Hulk" Chattelle. He will now get it on with the very tough Bob Burton (2-1). Burton is coming off a win over Carlos Rivera at the last CES and Holderness is coming off a loss to Dennis Olson at Combat Zone. Holderness has the experience but Burton can definitely scrap so this should be a very interesting fight with the winner moving closer to the rankings at 185.
Billy Giovanella will bring his stellar amateur career to the next level as he debuts against the super tough, Gilvan Santos (1-2) who now reps Dragon's Lair. Billy ended his great amateur career by beating Devin Pilkington by decision last fight and will look to use his phenomenal wrestling to hold the striker down. Gilvan Santos gave local star Andre Soukhamthath fits in Andres' bebut before Andre finished him off on the ground last fight. I definitely look for this to be a wrestler vs striker matchup of game plans. However you never know with young guys in this sport and how much they have evolved in other areas. If Billy gets this to the ground Santos will be in for a long night though.
Rising star, Leon Davis (2-0) of FAA, will be returning to the cage after a decision victory over Zack Costello to take on former Div-1 wrestler from Wai Kru, Jay Bakanoski(Pro debut). Jay's last fight was in the amateurs with Ricardo Georges almost two full years ago in a close loss. Leon looks to have all the tools necessary to become a BIG talent in this sport. His wrestling is at a high level, his striking is crisp and dynamic and the kid is HUGE at 155. Leon trains with some fierce 155 lb guys including Matt Bessette and Nick Newell so he will be more than ready. Jay looks to show what he has learned outside of wrestling in the last two years. It is a step up for Leon in this fight but I think he has a definite edge striking and is a very competent wrestler himself so unless Jay has a few tricks in his bag I would edge Leon in this one. But this is a very interesting fight!
Nate The Snake" Andrews(Pro Debut) out of Rukus Fighting Academy, will be another local product debuting in his back yard. Nate had a stellar amateur career, only losing to Thane Stimson and Tyson Chartier, while picking up some very impressive wins and a title. He is a very well rounded fighter who can win anywhere but will probably look to take this one to the ground as he fights the wild swinging, Pedro da Silva (1-3). Pedro is coming off a TKO loss to Joe Pingitore and this looks to be a showcase fight for Nate Andrews. If Nate can weather the early storm he will be able to use his conditioning and skills and give the hometown crowd what they want!
Tri-Force leader, Keith "Sonic Boom" Jeffrey (7-2-1) will be following up his very close victory over Chip Pollard with another tough test in Harley Beekman (4-1) from the renowned road warriors of Team Bombsquad out of New York. Harley's last fight was against the incredible wrestler, Brennan Ward, a decision loss. Harley looked like one big man at 185 but this fight is at 170 I believe so he will be huge! Keith Jeffery is also a shredded 170 and looks to have a BJJ advantage. Both fighters are big and strong, well conditioned and well rounded. Look for whomever executes their gameplan to be the winner here. I would edge Jeffrey but it is foolish to bet against Bombsquad so this fight is a very good one on paper, could go either way and could quite possibly be fight of the night!
Next up is everyone's favorite rising star from Woonsocket, RI. Andre "the Asian Sensation" Soukhamthath (1-1) out of Tri-Force. He will be following a nice submission victory over Gilvan Santos. Andre is a warrior and he was my first favorite fighter in MMA when he armbarred Jose Rustrian at AFO in 2010 after taking some HUGE punches. He has remained strong through alot of adversity both personal and in the fight game, losing 3 fights in a row, although his pro debut was a VERY sketchy decision. He is now signed with CES and looking to make a run with a much improved ground game and a great support team around him, including his fiance and manager, Jamie Thompson. This may sound like a little favoritism but the truth is I know nothing about Vinny Tisconie except he is probably Italian? He was a last minute addition and who knows, Vinnie may surprise us all. Look for Andre to put on a show and move up in class next fight!
The co-main event is between Wai Kru/Intense's Calvin "The Boston Finisher" Kattar (12-2) and Lion's Den's Chris Foster (4-2). Calvin comes in with four straight wins and is looking to make it five and has to be looking at the big show fairly soon with a convincing win here. I went to his last fight against Cody Stevens and I have been to probably 100 events and never saw so many people, in such a small area, cheer for one kid. This kid has all the tools, a great gym and can win anywhere the fight goes. He always brings a great fight and always looks to finish as he has 6 ko's and 3 submissions in his 12 wins. Chris Foster has been highly inactive but is definitely a top fighter nonetheless. He is coming off a big win over grizzled strikeforce vet Kevin Roddy, whom Kattar also has beaten. This fight will come down to how much Foster has improved during his time off. If he hasn't he will be in for a long night, or maybe a short one but this is yet another very high level local fight with great importance to it for both guys. Should be a fun one to watch!
The main event is an amazingly matched fight between two huge 160 lb fighters with great skillsets, Abner "Skullman" Lloveras(14-6) and Ryan Quinn(8-3-1). Ryan Quinn has an excellent wrestling base and has some very big wins under his belt including Matt Sung Lee, Brett Oteri and most recent Marc Stevens (Tuf cast member). He lost a highly competitive fight to Abner's Team link Teammate and UFC fighter Ricardo Funch. Ryan is out of American Top Team, a hugely accomplished team and claims to be comfortable with his striking for this fight. Abner is a Team Link fighter who is Spain's national gold medalist in boxing. He has a very strong ground game as well and is also confident if the fight goes where Quinn wants it to go. He is coming off a huge win over Rich Moskowitz. This is a GREAT matchup with the winner certainly moving way up, not only in rankings but possibly to much bigger shows. In my opinion this fight will come down to who executes their gameplan and who has those extra skills. If Quinn can use his striking to set up takedowns without getting caught with huge punches he will have the advantage. If Abner can keep it standing or can show takedowns of his own he will have the advantage. This is a great main event and honestly worth the price of admission. This could be fight of the night for sure. No one should leave early!
I would like to thank the guys at westernmassmma.com for allowing me to do this. i hope you all enjoyed and feel free to correct anything i said that is wrong or you disagree with....THANKS GUYS!!! Get your tickets by visiting here.
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