LINCOLN, R.I. (June 12th, 2015) – Milford, Mass., welterweight Toby Oden scored the knockout of the night Friday on the preliminary card of “CES MMA XXIX” at Twin River Casino, pummeling Meriden, N.H., vet Wayne Ahlquist with a flurry of hammer fists in the opening round of their scheduled three-round bout.
Oden (2-1, 2 KOs) clipped Alhquist (1-2) with a head kick midway through the round, momentarily dazing his opponent. Oden followed with a pair of solid right hands, sending Alhquist to the canvas, and earned the stoppage with a series of unanswered strikes, prompting referee Kevin MacDonald to stop the bout at the 2-minute, 35-second mark.
The Oden-Ahlquist bout highlighted the four-fight preliminary portion of CES MMA’s third installment of the 2015 AXS TV Fight Series. The televised main card began at 9 p.m. ET.
In the opening bout, Ludlow, Mass., featherweight Ricardo Scalissi (2-1) earned the first win of his pro career, submitting Devin Pilkington (0-3) of North Providence, R.I., at the 2:43 mark of the second round via arm triangle. The two traded takedowns in the opening round, but Scalissi gained the upper hand early in the second, sinking in the arm triangle and eventually forcing Pilkington to tap out despite a valiant effort.
After winning his CES MMA and professional debut in March, Norwood, Mass., bantamweight Jesse Gutierrez (1-1) seemed poised for his second win when he sunk in a guillotine choke in the opening round of his scheduled three-round bout against Kody Nordby (4-3), but the Cumberland, R.I., vet broke free, reversed the hold and submitted Gutierrez with a rear naked choke at the 4:03 mark. It was Nordby’s first win since February 2013, snapping a three-fight losing streak, and first in three tries with CES MMA.
The fourth and final bout ended in a bloody mess with Worcester, Mass., featherweight Evan Parker (5-3) submitting Pete Rogers Jr. (2-2) of Norwich, Conn., via arm triangle at 1:55 of the opening round. The two came out swinging, each landing early blows and each sustaining cuts. With blood from his cutting dripping onto Rogers, Parker locked in the arm triangle and eventually forced his opponent to tap out.
– CES –