CES returns to Twin River Casino on March 14th, 2014 with another star studded card. This one is headlined with 7 time UFC star Drew Fickett against Luis Felix. Then the co main event is the heavyweight title fight between fan favorite John Johnston against Josh Hendricks. Pat Sullivan once again has done a phenomenal job on matching up these fights. There are plenty more solid match ups that I will go over in the teaser. Tickets are available at their website here and start at just $41 buckaroos. There are a total of 10 professional fights which includes one title fight. The doors open at 6pm and the fights start approximately at 7pm. We will of course be in attendance with the live coverage so stay tuned. Let me break down the card for you all.
170 lbs Tom Venticinque (TUML 0-1) vs Rick Rivera (Gladiator BJJ 0-0)
For the first battle Tom Venticinque returns to the CES cage against Rick Rivera. Tom first went professional with CES back in October of 2013 against Brandon Chagnon. He won the first round but in the second ended up getting caught by armbar submission. He is ready to bounce back and get that first professional W. His opponent Rick is from Gladiator BJJ and is coming from Springfield Mass to take this fight. He had a really good amateur career with many submission and decision victories so I know he will be ready for this battle. He will be making his professional debut. This is going to be a ground battle for sure and I think it will come down to who gets the best position and can make their opponent pay with ground and pound because both fighters are very well versed on the ground.
145lbs Kyle Bochniak (Broadway Jiu Jitsu 1-0) vs. Marius Enache (Balance 1-2)
Next up Killer B Kyle Bochniak is back against Marius Enache at 145lbs. Kyle made his pro debut in January for CES and won by submission in rd 1 against Peter Bertucci. He had a great amateur career and is looking to keep his win streak going and his perfect record intact. He will have a ton of fans behind him at the event. His opponent Marius is from Team Balance and has a 1-2 record out of Pennsylvania. He won a decision and lost by submission and one by ko/tko. One of his opponents he lost to was Tommy Marcelino and he is a really good fighter who has fought for WSOF before. I think this fight will be a ground battle and should be a good one.
145lbs Josh LaBerge (8-4 Lauzon's) vs Steve McCabe( Balance 6-14)
Then Josh LaBerge takes on Steve McCabe at 145lbs. Josh has an 8-4 record and is from Lauzon's MMA. He has fought for Bellator twice and Strikeforce in his career. He has not fought since 2011 but he will be ready no doubt. He has 3 ko/tko, 1 sub and 4 decision victories so far in his pro career. He lost 3 by ko/tko and 1 by submission. His opponent Steve is from Team Balance in PA and has a 6-14 record. CES fans will remember his last fight against Charles Rosa who defeated him by Periuvian Neck tie. He is looking to bounce back and get the W this Friday. In his career for wins he has 5 ko/tko and 1 submission victories. For his losses he has 2 ko/tko and 12 by way of submission. Career wise Josh hasn't won his fights by submission so I feel this fight is going to be a stand up battle.
140lbs Brandon Fleming (SSSF 3-2) vs. Robert Sullivan( Balance/Baltimore BJJ 3-1)
At 140lbs Brandon 'Bad Luck Fleming is back against Robert Sullivan. Brandon is from SSSF and has a 3-2 record. He is a well rounded fighter with one win by ko/tko, one win by submission and one by decision. For his losses, he lost two tough decisions to Rob Font and Dez Green and we all know how badass those two are. His opponent Robert Sullivan is from Balance and Baltimore BJJ and has a 3-1 record. Robert 3 wins by decision and has a real good wrestling background from what I have seen. I saw him fight Dinis Paiva and he won that decision with winning the ground battle. In his last fight he fought for Bellator and won a decision. Brandon is also a good wrestler as well and I would like to see Fleming keep this fight standing for a bit and see how it goes. This is no easy match up for each fighter and it is going to real fun to watch.
155lbs Andres Jeudi (Sityodtong 5-2) vs. Brendan Rooney (C3 Athletics 5-1)
Next up at 155lbs Andres Jeudi takes on Brendan Rooney. Andres is from Sityodtong and has a 5-2 record. He won his first 5 fights, 2 by ko/tko, 2 by decision and one by DQ upkick against Matt Bessette. Since then he lost two straight fights with a decision to Lucas Cruz and a split decision to Chris Foster. His opponent Brendan is from C3 Athletics and has a 5-1 record. Brendan has 4 submissions victories and 1 decision victories so far in his pro career. His only loss came by ko/tko back in 2011 against John DeRusha. This is a good match up between striker and grappler which should make for an awesome battle.
185lbs Chip Moraza-Pollard (CCFA 7-6) vs. Tom Egan (Team Egan 7-4)
Chip Moraza-Pollard will face off against Tom Egan at 185lbs. Chip is from CCFA and comes into this fight with a 7-6 record. Chip has 4 wins by ko/tko and 3 decision for his victories. For his losses 1 ko/tko, 1 submission and 4 by decision. He has struggled as of lately but he always fights real tough fighters and this fight is no exception. Tom Egan is from Team Egan and has a 7-4 record. Tom has 6 wins by ko/tko and one win by corner stoppage. For his losses he has 2 ko/tko, 1 sub and one decision loss. As I said this is a tough fight for both fighters and I think it will be an awesome stand up battle which will be sure to get the CES fans on their feet!!
145lbs Charles Rosa (ATT 7-0) vs. Brylan Van Artsdalen (9-9 Daddi's Fight Camp)
Then Charles Rosa takes on Brylan Van Artsdalen at 145lbs. Charles is from American Top Team and has quickly became 7-0. He has 3 ko/tko and 4 submission victories so you can see he knows how to finish fights. He will be looking to keep his perfect record intact with another big finish. His opponent Brylan has fought for Bellator several times and has a 9-9 record. He trains out of PA with Daddi's Fight Camp and has struggled lately with only winning 3 out of his last 10 fights. However two of them were losses to Ryan Quinn and Kevin Roddy, two tough fighters. Brylan has lost all of his losses by way of submission which could be disastrous for him against the deadly Rosa. Although Brylan has won the majority of his victories by submission so we will just have to wait to see how this pans out on Friday!
170lbs Chuck O'Neil (Mass BJJ 12-6) vs. Roger Carroll (Team Superior 13-10)
At 170lbs Chuck O'Neil takes on Roger Carroll in the battle of the Irishmen. Chuck is from Mass BJJ and of course UFC veteran with a 12-6 record. He has 4 ko/tko, 5 submissions and 3 by decision for his victories. For his losses he lost, 1 by ko/tko, 2 by sub and 3 by decision. He is a solid fighter and can win his fights anywhere it goes. His opponent Roger is with Team Superior and has a 13-10 record. Roger has the majority of his victories by submissions and 1 loss by ko/tko, 5 submission and 4 decision losses. This fight is going to be an awesome one and I think it will be a back and forth battle.
HVY Title John Johnston (Sityodtong 5-0) vs. Josh Hendricks (Team Nogueria 19-9)
The heavy weight showdown is just days away between John Johnston and Josh Hendricks. John is from Team Sityodtong and has an undefeated record of 5-0. All of them have come by way of ko/tko and he will be looking to take that belt home with him to Massachusetts. Josh is from Team Nogueria and has a 19-9 record. Josh fights out of Ohio and has been in the UFC once with a fight against Gabriel Gonzaga. He has 5 ko/tko, 12 submission and 2 decision victories in his pro career for his wins. For his losses he lost 5 by ko/tko and 4 by submissions. This fight was first announced on Inside MMA and Axs.tv and it should live up to the hype. I don't see this fight going to a decision so one way or another someone is going to get finished and when it is all said and done a new CES heavyweight champ will be crowned.
155lbs Drew Fickett (42-20) vs. Luis Felix (10-7 NEC)
In the main event Drew Fickett will be challenging the local favorite Luis Felix at 155lbs. Drew Fickett needs no introduction with an outstanding 42-20 record. He has fought in the UFC and Strikeforce in his career. He has 3 ko/tko , 31 submissions and 8 wins by decision. For his losses he has 11 ko/tko, 4 submissions and 5 by decision. He has been a pro fighter since 1999 and has fought all over and now he will be fighting for CES. Luis Rockstar Felix is the head of New England Combat and has a 10-7 record. He not only will have the best hair of the night but he loves to put on a show. He has 3 wins by ko/tko, 5 submissions and 2 wins by decision. He has wins over Lucas Cruz, Jeremy Ross, Joe Proctor and Marc Stevens to name a few. For his losses he has 2 by ko/tko, 2 subs, 2 by decisions and one DQ loss. No doubt Drew will want to take this fight to the ground to test Rockstar but he can hold his own on the ground as well. I think Luis will try to keep this fight standing for a bit and test Drew's chin.
There you have the complete breakdown of this Friday's event of CES MMA at Twin River Casino in Rhode Island. The Artist, Warchild and I will be making the trip down to cover the show for you all. Come to the event early and you can hit the casinos and play the slots or blackjack. There are tons of awesome restaurants inside the venue to eat including my personal favorite Johnny Rockets. Special thanks goes out to team CES for always keeping us up to date on the happenings and putting on this awesome mma show for the fans.