West Fargo, ND (May 7, 2022) – CES MMA invaded Fargo for the first time live on UFC FIGHT PASS® Friday night at the Veterans Memorial Arena and showed the entire combat sports world how the west was won.
With UFC royalty on hand – the legendary Jon “Bones” Jones cornered one half of yesterday’s main event – CES MMA put its best foot forward with a star-studded event that featured three UFC veterans in addition to the Red River Valley’s top up-and-comers showcasing their talents on the sport’s biggest stage.
Eight-time UFC vet and Albuquerque, NM, heavyweight Maurice Greene (10-6) capped CES 68 with a first-round submission victory over Minnesota’s Danyelle Williams (8-8) while 15-time UFC vet and Saint Cloud, MN, middleweight Anthony Rocco Martin (18-6) ended a two-year layoff with a second-round submission win over 37-fight vet Tim Bazer of Omaha, who took the fight on two days’ notice.
Friday was particularly satisfying for Martin, who earlier in the week detailed his personal and professional struggles throughout his 23-month absence, including a nagging knee injury, a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, and subsequent mental health issues stemming from his time away from the sport.
Nicknamed “The Crochet Boss,” Greene won for the first time since June of 2020 when he defeated Gian Villante on the main card of UFC on EPSN: Poirier vs. Hooker. He went 4-4 with the UFC, including high-profile bouts against ex-NFL star Greg Hardy and Aleksei Oleinik, before the promotion released him in May of 2021.
Other main card results included:
• Hibbing, MN, middleweight Indalecio “Tat” Romero (30-6) defeating Deven Paulsen (4-5) of Alaska via arm triangle choke at 4:49 of Round 1
• Lightweight Angel Pacheco (5-1) of Minnesota defeating Zack Schroeder (9-14) of North Dakota via ground-and-pound TKO at 0:47 of Round 1
• Minnesota lightweight Jamie Naasz (2-0) defeating David Johannes (4-1) via majority decision, 28-28, 29-28, 29-27, and
• Flyweight Sean Stebbins (3-2) of New Hope, MN, defeating Jeff Silva (4-6) of Methuen, MA, via unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
CES MMA returns Friday, June 17 at Ballys Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln, RI, for CES 69 on FIGHT PASS, featuring a five-round world bantamweight title bout between challengers Ashiek Ajim (5-1) and Azjavkhlan Baatar (8-6) in addition to a highly-anticipated light heavyweight bout between UFC vet Mike Rodriguez (11-7) and Marcus Vinicius (11-5). Tickets are available at CESFights.com.