Looking to build upon their debut on UFC Fight Pass with CES 54, the promotion has announced the first set of fights for CES 55.
The Rhode Island-based promotion is coming off of its first event live on UFC Fight Pass which saw Nate Andrews (15-1-0) and Tony Gravely (17-5-0) defend their respective titles at CES 54. Gravely and Andrews are two of the top prospects worldwide who the UFC has shown interest in.
CES 55 is going to make just as much of a bang in their second UFC Fight Pass event as the former.
Here are the officially announced bouts:
⚠️ We've got a BIG heavyweight fight on deck at #CES55, with #Connecticut's own @Parker_Porter locking horns with heavy-handed @AmericanTopTeam challenger @TeamRakim58 on March 29 in #Hartford, LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/5zcGELzm4S
— CES MMA (@CESMMA) March 6, 2019
Rakim Cleveland (19-11-1), who most recently fought with PFL in the light heavyweight tournament, makes his way to Connecticut to fight hometown fighter Parker Porter (8-5-0). Cleveland, who trains at American Top Team, won his first PFL fight but fell to stoppages in his last two appearances. Porter was on the wrong end of illegal shots in a fight many said he was winning at CES 53. Before that, he was a winner of two straight, including at Bellator 140.
⚠️ @EricSpicely tries to climb to 9-0 in the #CESMMA cage when he battles fellow #UFC vet @CaioHellboy at #CES55 on March 29 in #Hartford, LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/mgqNur9jeI
— CES MMA (@CESMMA) March 8, 2019
Eric Spicely, an Ultimate Fighter Season 23 competitor, went 2-4 in the UFC then returned to both the CES cage and the win column after a first-round TKO victory at CES 54. His opponent is PFL and UFC veteran Caio Magalhaes. The Brazilian middleweight went 4-3 in his UFC stint.
⚠️ Very excited to announce the champ Jeremiah Wells will defend his #CESMMA World Welterweight Championship against red-hot #BellatorMMA standout @teamVinijesus at #CES55 on March 29 in #Hartford, LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/MlqoOnFHUX
— CES MMA (@CESMMA) March 5, 2019
The (as of now) lone title fight on the card is between Jeremiah Wells and Vinicius de Jesus. Vinicius de Jesus (7-2-0) is coming off a huge win at Bellator 216 in his home state. Now de Jesus again fights in his backyard, this time for CES, after going 3-1 in his four Bellator contests. The welterweight champion, Jeremiah Wells (6-1-1), has impressed the UFC brass with wins over Jason Norwood and Jon Manley. A win for either fighter not only means gold, but would be impressive additions to the already stacked resumes they hold.
⚠️ @ManglerUFC is Coming Home ⚠️
After repping #NewEnglandMMA in the #UFC's Octagon, former #CESMMA champ #TheMangler takes on red-hot challenger @JaguarDooling at #CES55 on March 29 in his hometown of #Hartford, LIVE on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/1un7vdBVlX
— CES MMA (@CESMMA) March 6, 2019
One of the biggest fights of the night is the return of former CES champion and UFC vet Matt Bessette (22-9-0). “The Mangler” has been a fan-favorite for a long time around New England. Always putting on a show, Bessette was pushing for a PFL spot but instead returns to his roots at CES. His opponent is the Trenton, New Jersey, product, Tim Dooling who has finished five of his seven victories.
⚠️ Undefeated light-heavyweight stud William Knight tries to improve to 5-0 at #CES55 on March 29 in Hartford, LIVE on @UFCFightPass 💣 pic.twitter.com/OzAIpLwu2H
— CES MMA (@CESMMA) March 4, 2019
Also included is William Knight, the 4-0 machine of an elite prospect.
The best part is the card is far from full and names like Fabio Cherant and others could be included in the monster card.
Tune into CES 55 on March 29 in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Connecticut Convention Center live on UFC Fight Pass.
