New year, same results
Top-ranked CES kicks off ’12 with night of upsets, debuts and comebacks
LINCOLN, R.I. (Feb. 3, 2012) – Tyler King left the Twin River Event Center with the biggest win of his young career Friday, and his own personal hardware.
The former NFL offensive lineman from Stoughton, Mass., delivered one of the most impressive knockouts of the night, stopping previously-undefeated Eric Bedard 4 minutes, 17 seconds into the opening round with a left knee to the chin in the first half of the heavyweight co-main event at “Extreme Measures,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, New England’s No. 1 combat sports promotion in 2011.
King (4-1, 2 KOs), who had accused his opponent of ducking him prior to the bout after their previous match-ups fell through, survived two strong hip tosses from Bedard (3-1) before using his strength and height advantage to take control of the fight.
As the two fighters clinched in the center of the cage, King caught Bedard directly under the chin with his left knee. Bedard’s knees buckled as he crumbled to the canvas, and the referee immediately stopped the fight before King could inflict further damage.
“I thought I could beat him in every phase of the game, and I did,” King said. “I knew he couldn’t hold me down or strike me. I’m still a baby, but throw me in the deep end and let’s get it on.
“I’m the [Classic Entertainment & Sports] cruiserweight champion. I’m ready for anyone at 225 pounds.”
Though King doesn’t own any official title, he’s on the right path following Friday’s win over Providence’s Bedard. The second half of the co-main event ended even quicker as former Ultimate Fighting Championships [UFC] contender Josh Hendricks (19-8) submitted Josh Diekmann (12-4) via an arm triangle at the 2:00 mark of the opening round in the final bout of the evening.
“Extreme Measures” also included two successful professional debuts, a long-awaited comeback for a fan favorite, a surprising upset in the light heavyweight division, and an impromptu announcement of Rhode Island’s next great title bout, featuring current CES middleweight champion Todd “The Hulk” Chattelle facing former UFC contender John “Doomsday” Howard April 13 at Twin River.
The upset of the night occurred when Mike Stewart (6-3) of White Plains, N.Y., dominated Providence’s Greg Rebello (13-4) from start to finish and forced the No. 1-ranked light heavyweight in New England to tap out at the 1:16 mark of the third round due to an armbar, handing Rebello just his second loss in 14 fights.
Stewart got Rebello to the ground early in each of the first two rounds, using his strength to overpower his opponent. Rebello tried to execute a flying knee to the face at the beginning of the third, but Stewart caught him, executed another brilliant takedown, and finished the bout moments later.
“Fighting is fighting,” said Stewart, who pulled off the win in front of a predominantly pro-Rebello crowd for his second victory in his last three fights. “It doesn’t matter where you are.”
Back in the cage for the first time in 15 months after recovering from a torn meniscus, Pawtucket, R.I., lightweight Pete Jeffrey (5-4) used every last ounce of energy to defeat the dangerous Lionel Young (6-10) of Brockton, Mass., by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, in a fight that wound up much closer than the score indicated. The win was Jeffrey’s first since he defeated Saul Almeida of Framingham, Mass., in September of 2010.
Almeida (12-1) has won five consecutive bouts since that loss, including Friday’s 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 unanimous decision win over Pawtucket’s Jeff Anderson (10-6). Almeida controlled the fight on the ground from start to finish, leaving a frustrated Anderson with little to no chance of executing.
Bantamweight Andre Soukhamthath (1-1) of Woonsocket, R.I., won for the first time as a professional, choking out Gilvan Santos (0-3) of Framingham 42 seconds into the second round. Santos’ quick strikes left their mark on Soukhamthath early, but the speedy bantamweight countered quickly and got Santos to submit less than a minute into the second round.
“Honestly, he was beating my butt up there,” Soukhamthath said, “so I had to take it to the ground.”
Up-and-comers Joe Pingitore (1-0, 1 KO) of Johnston, R.I., and middleweight Brennan Ward (1-0, 1 KO) of Providence each won their pro debuts; Ward used his wrestling technique to take Josh Mellen (1-6) to the canvas early, and quickly finished his opponent with a flurry of punches at the 1:30 mark, while Pingitore showed off his footwork by maintaining his balance against Pedro da Silva (1-4) and slipping into the mount position before pummeling his opponent with unanswered strikes to force the stoppage 1:25 into the second round.
Queens, N.Y., native Kevin Horowitz (4-4) handed welterweight Shawn Summey (2-1) of Norwood, Mass., his first loss via a 29-27, 29-28, 29-28 unanimous decision; lightweight Andres Jeudi (4-0, 2 KOs) remained unbeaten by stopping a bloody, bruised Tim O’Connell (4-4) at the 1:46 mark of the third round; and unbeaten featherweight Sean Soriano (5-0, 3 KOs) flattened Lee Metcalf (5-6) in 34 seconds with a series of unanswered shots to the head.
For more information on Friday’s show and future events, including ticket information on the upcoming April 13 show at the Event Center, visit www.cesmma.com.
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