CES MMA has long been a staple of New England MMA, and on Friday, October 20, 2023 they brought plenty of former UFC talents with them to Ledyard. Topping the card, 13-fight UFC veteran Rosa, competing for the first time since exiting the promotion off a loss to Nathaniel Wood at UFC London in July 2022.

Rosa was set to take on Jonathan Gary, a Bellator alum looking to get back in the win column in MMA (though he had found success in the boxing realm earlier this year).

Full results from CES 75: Rosa vs. Gary can be found below. The main card gets underway at 9PM ET and is expected to stream via the CES MMA Facebook page.

CES 75: Rosa vs. Gary Results

Main card

Charles Rosa def. Jonathan Gary by submission, Round 2, 0:47
Ali Zebian def. Nate Andrews by TKO, Round 1, 0:50
Regivaldo Carvalho def. Don Shainis by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 0:50 — for the CES bantamweight championship
Justin Sumter def. Eric Spicely by submission (neck crank), Round 1, 2:32
Tim Flores def. John Medina by TKO, Round 1, 1:59
Quentin Pasley def. Turner Williams by TKO, Round 1, 0:59
Arslan Otchiyev def. Pat Gilbride by TKO (leg kick), Round 1, 3:23

Preliminary card

Tristan Turano vs. Tyler Liewellyn — Amateur bout
Joe Cortigiano def. Justin Graves by unanimous decision — Amateur bout
Zack Magdis vs. Danny Sblendorio — Amateur bout
Isaiah Sanchez vs. Alexander Reigosa — Amateur bout
Jojo Gonzalez vs. Naduev Rakhman — Amateur bout
Tommy Kempton vs. Gilani Ibragimov — Amateur bout
Anthony Rivera vs. Stanislov Rakov — Amateur bout

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Having picked up a UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Jenkins was fighting at home for his debut.

The crowd gave Jenkins, the first Australian to make the walk on the night, quite the welcome.

Shainis went right into Jenkins as the action got underway, but Jenkins landed a lot of knees to the body. Shainis was still able to push him against the cage but kneed Jenkins to the groin and lost his position. Shainis went right in on a deep single-leg but Jenkins defended. A beautiful jab to a left hook to a leg kick was landed by Jenkins. Then another hard outside leg kick buckled Shainis for a second. Jenkins landed a few more lead leg kicks which were nasty. The round ended with some added-on jabs and leg kicks. A great round from Jenkins with his ability to mix it up.

Round two, Shainis wasn’t backing down. He was throwing some good combinations of his own. When he started to get some momentum he hit Jenkins in the groin again. That halted that momentum. When they started back they clinched up and Jenkins threw Shainis to his back. On top, Jenkins was controlling for a bit and even got the back momentarily.

Shainis eventually got back to his feet. A leg kick, hook to the body and the left hook all landed by Jenkins. Out of nowhere Shainis tripped Jenkins down and mounted him right away. He landed a good elbow but Jenkins scrambled back up and got a takedown of his own. He then quickly took the back, but Shainis turned in towards his opponent right at the bell.

Shainis went for a takedown to start the final round but Jenkins defended and took the back. Shainis proved to be game in bad positions and scrambled back to his feet. He took a few knees on the way up and Jenkins got another takedown. From the bottom, Shainis had in a deep kimura but didn’t have the position. Jenkins ended up mounting Shainis but only briefly. Shainis got back to his feet but ate a barrage of right hands. To close the fight Jenkins landed a nice front kick to the face.

This one went to the scorecards, with Jenkins earning a hard-fought decision win with a solid performance.

Official Result: Jack Jenkins def. Don Shainis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30, 27, 29-28)

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“The only advice I got from some athletes who have gone through similar things was to try and slow down and take it in a little bit because it goes really quick. My weight’s good. I’m not stressed about that. For me it’s just taking it all in, enjoying the process of being here, and getting to fight day in good shape,” Jenkins told reporters on Wednesday.

Fighting on such a big event on home soil would get into the heads of many young fighters, but Jenkins seems to have gotten a good grasp on being in the moment when it comes to such a big event.

“I think I was pretty lucky in the path that I took to get here. I was the number one guy in Australia for a few years before I got my shot on contenders. Contenders is kind of a halfway house for the big show which is the UFC. So I think I’ve kind of been broken in on my way here. It kind of feels normal to me now,” he said.

“You don’t know when you get out there in that big arena in front of the Perth crowd whether it’s going to turn around, but you don’t know what you don’t know. I’m just taking it as it comes.”

Jenkins takes on Shainis who comes into enemy territory to fight on UFC 284. The travel to a different country is something that fighters have to take as part of the job.

“That’s what he’s doing now flying in from I think he’s from the east coast. I did that trip last time, and I did it on short notice so I know it’s pretty tough,” Jenkins said.

“If I’m honest I want him here in good shape. I want to be able to put on my skill set against someone who’s going to stand there and go.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Jack Jenkins above. Jenkins takes on Don Shainis at UFC 284 on Saturday night.

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“I feel like I didn’t even make my debut yet to be honest with you,” Shainis said. “Yes, I made the walk to the cage, I went through all the motions, all the media, all that bullshit – ultimately it doesn’t feel like I got to put myself out there and compete.”

Shainis doesn’t blame the circumstances, nor does he discredit the incredible talent of his opponent. However, his ability to prepare was hindered and less than ideal – but it was a means to get where he was going.

“I was coming off an injury, I had just started exercising again. Like two days back into training I got the phone call to fight,” he said. “When the UFC calls, you don’t say no – especially when you’re trying to get in.”

Although the injury was mostly all healed up, it left him in a place he doesn’t typically like to be. Usually a guy who handles his weight cut easily, Shainis was left with a lot of work to do and not much time to do it.

“They gave me two weeks to make weight, and I cut 40lbs in two weeks,” Shainis said. “I like to cut 15lbs. I like to diet down. I normally walk around between 165 and 170lbs when I’m eating comfortably. I’ll diet down to 160, fight week I’ll be 158 and I’ll cut from 158.”

Wildly, the weight came right back on for him. Although some fighters like being able to do that, the toll on his body was just too much.

“So obviously, when you do a crazy weight cut like that, there’s a huge tax you pay on your body. There’s a point of diminishing returns,” he said. “In order to be a professional and make the weight, I had to f*cking blow by that point.”

Now on the perfect track to make weight the way he likes to, Shainis looks forward to being able to show the world what he’s really made of. He’ll get that first chance to as he takes on Jack Jenkins on the ESPN+ preliminary card of UFC 284 this Saturday.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview below at 29:28.

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Blake Bilder Interview (1:56)

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC featherwight, Blake Bilder. Bilder brings the excitement and the energy to this interview as he discusses a myriad of topics. He digs into the origins of his nickname ‘el animal’. He also talks about how he manages to keep that flame burning and keep improving despite being on the other side of 30. Plus, he talks about the chance to make his UFC debut down under in Perth for UFC 284. He’s got some thoughts on his fight with Shane Young as well.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlay: UFC 284 (17:02)

Perhaps one of the biggest fights that can be made right now is happened this weekend at UFC 284. The number one and number two, pound-for-pound fighters will square off with the lightweight belt on the line. We’ll give you our thoughts on Makhachev/Volkanovski as well as the interim featherweight title fight as well. Plus, if that’s not enough to get you intrigued, we have plenty more where that came from. We’re also hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think can make your wallet fat on Saturday night. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Don Shainis Interview (29:28)

Closing out this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with UFC featherweight, Don Shainis. Shainis discusses the hell that was making weight on roughly a week’s notice. While he was able to hit the mark and keep his purse, Shainis notes just how terrible it made him feel. He’s now considering this weekend’s fight at UFC 284 as his UFC debut – and feels better than ever (not just better than last time). Finally, he shares his thoughts about being the enemy in a foriegn land and he looks to spoil the debut of Jack Jankins down in Perth.

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Jenkins (10-2) will face Don Shainis (12-4) in a featherweight match-up at the Pay-Per-View event in Perth, Australia on February 11, 2023 (Feb. 12 locally). Iridium Sports Agency announced the news on social media recently, with both fighters subsequently confirming the booking.

Earning a UFC deal back in September on Dana White’s Contender Series, Jenkins finished Freddy Emiliano Linares via TKO in the third round of their scrap. The victory extended Jenkins’ win streak to seven straight; he has not lost a fight since March of 2018.

Don Shainis, a.k.a. “Shameless,” is still in search of his first UFC win after falling to Sodiq Yusuff earlier this month. It’s worth noting that Shainis took an incredibly difficult match-up on short-notice in the bout; prior to that loss, the Massachusetts native had won fight straight, a stretch that included victories over UFC alum Cody Pfister and everyone’s favorite journeyman, Jay Ellis.

UFC 284 is set to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on February 11, 2023. The following match-ups have been reported for the promotion’s first trip down under since prior to the coronavirus pandemic:

• Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa
• Tyson Pedro vs. Zhang Mingyang
• Jack Jenkins vs. Don Shainis

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With the event being behind closed doors, and only one specific very special guest being in attendance, the atmosphere throughout the week has been a strange and unique one at that. In hindsight, the event played out to be one that certainly deserved a live crowd.

Let’s take a look at what could be next for the losers of the night.

Mackenzie Dern

Coming into the weekend, Jiu-Jitsu specialist Mackenzie Dern occupied rank #5 of the strawweight division, while her opponent, Yan Xiaonan sat just one place below her. The consensus was that if Dern could manage to get the fight to the mat, which is something she struggles with quite often despite being a jiu-jitsu specialist, then she could control the fight in any way she wanted. Things didn’t go her way though. On a side note, over 10 UFC fights, Dern has only managed to accumulate a takedown percentage of just 11%.

The fight began with Yan being able to fight her own fight, using counter striking to maximum advantage. In a fight of polar opposite styles, this was key to how the rest of the fight played out. Midway through round two, Dern managed to unconventionally get the fight where she wanted it. Despite over a full minute of relenting ground-and-pound with some submission attempts sprinkled in, Xiaonan survived and got herself through the rest of the fight, winning a majority decision.

There is no denying that Mackenzie Dern is a world class talent, and being on the right side of 30, she still has time to fix some holes in her game. A camp where she focuses on her wrestling entries and figures out ways to get the fight to where she’s most dangerous is now imperative.

I’d like to see Dern fight the winner of the upcoming bout between Hill and Ducote.

Dern’s Next Fight: Winner of Angela Hill vs Emily Ducote

Francisco Trinaldo

The ever aging Trinaldo stepped into the Octagon for the second time this year, as he took on Randy Brown. The fight went the way a lot of people expected, but Trinaldo stayed in the fight throughout. There were definitely times in the fight where Trinaldo looked dangerous, but never did he look to be close to getting Brown out of there.

After being in the promotion for 10 years now, and accumulating 26 fights, maybe it’s time for Trinaldo to think about his future in the sport. Having said that, as previously mentioned, Trinaldo still shows signs of being a dangerous fighter, and one that cannot be deterred.

A fun fight that could roll back the years is Trinaldo vs Matt Brown, and that would ultimately guarantee fireworks.

Trinaldo’s Next Fight: Matt Brown

Trevin Jones

There is no shame losing to Raoni Barcelos. The Brazilian exemplified how well rounded of a mixed martial artist he is, and unfortunately for Jones, he was the one on the receiving end of the complete performance.

With that being Jones’ third loss on the bounce, things are starting to get a bit nervy for the Guam native. Someone who shares a common ground with Jones is Tony Gravely. Both bantamweights have been defeated by Javid Basharat and both are looking to bounce back from their recent losses with a win. Why not match them up together to really see where they’re both at?

Jones’ Next Fight: Tony Gravely 

Don Shainis

Let’s have it right, there are far easier opponents to make your UFC debut against than Sodiq Yusuff. “Super” Sodiq saw his scheduled bout with Giga Chikadze fall through last week, and then subsequently struggled to find a late notice opponent for this card.

Up stepped “Shameless” Shainis, Cage Titans featherweight champion. What proceeded was nothing more than people expected. Shainis found himself locked into a deep guillotine after just 30 seconds of the opening bell, and couldn’t take anymore, with his UFC debut not going to plan — not surprisingly given it being on extremely late notice.

Another fighter who recently made his UFC debut with that also not going to plan is Jarno Errens. Have the two fight each other on a smaller UFC Fight Night card with the winner sticking around to fight another day, and the loser going back to the regional shows to further work on their craft.

Shainis’ Next Fight: Jarno Errens 

Viacheslav Borshchev

Once again, the Russian found himself being out-wrestled for 15 minutes of a fight, highlighting the serious hole in his game that he needs to work on to be able to improve. In his four fights under the UFC banner, his opponents have all managed to score a takedown percentage of at least 60%, with Davis putting a 81% TD accuracy on the board this fight, only failing on two takedowns.

Borshchev has shown in his four UFC fights that he is a skilful opponent on the feet, however, as soon as his opponent shows some sort of poise in the grappling department, he crumbles. As a small consolation, Doug Crosby was the only one of three judges that deemed Borshchev to have won one round, scoring the second round in his favour.

The Canadian, Kyle Nelson, is a lightweight who no matter his opponent, he is going to come in and stand and bang. A fight between the two lightweights looking to taste victory again could be extremely exciting.

Borshchev’s Next Fight: Kyle Nelson 

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The end result was about what you would have expected. With Shainis coming in on short notice, with a decent resume but not nearly the level of competition Yusuff had fought, this featherweight match-up was over early. Very early.

The pair clinched up in the opening moments of the fight, and Sodiq Yusuff went right to work with the knees— and Shainis with the body shots. Shainis dropped down to the leg, but at the same time unfortunately and rather carelessly left his neck exposed. Yusuff was confident with his lock so he pulled guard and put the debuting fighter to sleep.

It all took just thirty seconds to transpire, with Sodiq Yusuff coming away with his second straight win, and second of 2022. While the win won’t do much for his standing in the UFC’s 145lb division, Yusuff did exactly what he was expected to do against the newcomer.

Official Result: Sodiq Yusuff def. Don Shainis by submission (guillotine), Round 1, 0:30

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After fighting five times in a year and calling for a shot in the UFC, Shainis finally got the call to the biggest fight promotion in the world. Oh, and he is fighting a top 15 featherweight in his debut.

Two weeks ago, when Sodiq Yusuff’s fight with Giga Chikadze fell through, the UFC scrambled to fight him an opponent. According to Yusuff, no one would agree to fight him on a week’s notice or even two weeks notice, understandably so.

Shainis would, though.

“I had just come back from vacation [when I got the call]. This is the first time I’ve done this in forever; I went to a wedding back home and to see my family for a couple of weeks,” Shainis told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “I was eating and feeling good- letting my body recover. Two days into coming back, thinking like, alright, this is gonna be a good adjustment week for me to get my diet in check and to get my body used to training, and I get a call on Tuesday.”

Shainis couldn’t do it on a week’s notice as his weight was a little too high because of his rare vacation, but he was game on October 1.

Shainis is a huge underdog, and many people have written him off. He doesn’t care. He has been grinding his whole career to get to the UFC.

“Look, I’ll put it like this, right? Like, I didn’t get in this game to play it safe. I didn’t do this to play safe,” Shainis said. “So, you know, it’s a ranked fighter. It’s not a favorable match-up for me. I don’t f*cking care. I’m not saying no [to the fight]. Like, this is why I’m here.”

“I really think this is going to be like skills versus intangibles. So I think as far as like striking goes, he’s gonna be the far crisper striker. He’s gonna look pretty on TV. But I’m so awkward and weird. And, like, the stuff I do doesn’t look pretty, but it gets the f*cking job done. So I think what will win me this fight is my intangibles.”

Watch the rest of our interview with Don Shainis above. He fights Sodiq Yusuff tomorrow at UFC Vegas 61.

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Don Shainis
Standing at 5’6″
Fighting at 145 lbs (featherweight)
31-years-old
Fighting out of Soughton, Massachusetts, US
Training out of Citadel Martial Arts & Fitness
A pro record of 12-3
8 KO/TKOs, 2 Submission

How will Shainis fare in the UFC:

Shainis is a small featherweight at 5’6″ so closing the distance has been an issue. He’ll leap forward with wide hooks opened to being countered on the way in. Shainis does have good hands going to the body-head and has some deceptive power. He likes to mix it up with some heavy leg kicks as well. His size and ineffective footwork will limit his striking though.

Shainis is a slick grappler and someone I enjoy watching. He’s always working never being complacent in any position. Even off his back, he’s like a gnat peppering you with strikes. Also, you will see Shainis very often hit beautiful elevator sweeps off his back really becoming a master of that technique. Shainis is loose in positions and his takedown defense isn’t great. He’s at his best facing some adversity, gaining momentum, and taking over the fight.

Shainis is such an odd case that I don’t know what to expect from him in the UFC. His striking won’t take him far but his ground game could. I do believe he can outclass a few guys in the UFC with his aggressive ground game. I wouldn’t expect much but Shainis is no slouch and will put up a tough fight with whoever he fights.

How he matches up with Yusuff:

Shainis has a tough debut to make on short notice against Yusuff. Yusuff is able to be taken down being taken down a few times in his UFC career. There are questions if Shainis can even get close enough to try and take him down. Yusuff is far more athletic, faster, stronger, and has a massive advantage on the feet. Yusuff is a top featherweight whereas Shainis is borderline UFC level. I pick Yusuff to finish this fight catching Shainis in round one for the TKO.

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