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Johnston vs. Hendricks and Felix vs. Fickett Set for CES MMA 22


"CES MMA XXII" will be a judgment night of sorts for two of the region's brightest stars as they prepare for a challenge unlike any other. Hard-hitting heavyweight John Johnston will put his undefeated record on the line against a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender for CES' vacant title and lightweight Luis Felix will face one of mixed martial arts' most polarizing figures Friday, March 14th, 2014 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

Now 5-0 with five knockouts following another win in January, Johnston will battle 37-year-old Ohio native Josh Hendricks (19-9, 5 KOs) for CES MMA's vacant heavyweight title in a five-round bout. This is a major step up for Johnston, the Melrose, Mass., native, who has yet to fight past the second round in any of his previous five bouts. The furthest any opponent got was 46 seconds into the second round back in September of 2011, and that one ended in typical Johnston fashion when the big heavyweight put a bloodied, battered Shaun Durfee to sleep for good with a hard right cross.

Like Johnston, Hendricks rarely goes the distance -- just twice in 21 bouts -- but his experience in the cage might be the biggest hurdle Johnston has to overcome. Hendricks has been fighting professionally since 2002. His career peaked between 2005 and 2007 when he won 10 of 11 bouts, nine of them ending in the first round, to earn a spot on the UFC 91 undercard in 2008. The thrill wore off quickly with a first-round knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga, but Hendricks has remained active by fighting at least once a year over the past five years, including a win over Bellator contender and Connecticut native Josh Diekmann at Twin River in 2011.

In addition to his five knockout wins, Hendricks' impressive resume includes 12 wins by submission. Only two of his 21 fights have gone the distance -- both wins -- setting the stage for what could be a dramatic finish when he faces Johnston on the 14th.

For Felix (10-7, 3 KOs), his lightweight showdown against Arizona's Drew Fickett (42-20, 3 KOs) represents another opportunity to beat a UFC vet while moving one step closer toward reaching the same goal in his own career.

The Providence native already owns wins over Joe Proctor and Marc Stevens and tends to fight his best on the biggest stage, but Fickett is a rare breed, a sturdy veteran with more than 60 fights on his resume before his 35th birthday.

Fickett's remarkable efficiency, which includes seven fights under the UFC umbrella and bouts with Strikeforce, Dream and King Of The Cage, is even more impressive considering his past troubles in and out of the cage. Fickett battled alcoholism for several years, but has since rededicated himself to mixed martial arts and is looking to make one more run to the top.

Experience will be on his side. Among his most impressive bouts are a split-decision win over former UFC title contender Kenny Florian in 2004 before Florian's UFC debut and a split-decision win over fellow Strikeforce and UFC vet Dennis Hallman in 2003. Fickett is also the first fighter to beat UFC lifer Josh Koscheck, submitting Koscheck via rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 2 in 2005.

At his best, Fickett is one of the top lightweights in mixed martial arts. Thirty-one of his 42 wins have come by submission and he's only gone the distance 13 times in 62 bouts.

But Felix rarely wilts under the pressure. Working with Rhode Island-based boxing coach Vic Fagnant and former CES MMA lightweight champ Mike Campbell, who has helped with strength and conditioning, Felix expects to be the strongest he's ever been when he returns on the 14th. Since losing to Joe DeChaves in October of 2010, a loss that dropped his record to 5-6, Felix has won five of his last six bouts. The turnaround began with the win over Proctor, the Quincy, Mass., native who went on to star on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Live and has since been a fixture on UFC undercards.

Several undercard bouts at "CES MMA XXII" could steal the show, including the highly-anticipated middleweight bout between UFC vet Thomas Egan (7-4, 6 KOs) of Dorchester, Mass., and Plymouth, Mass., veteran Chip Moraza-Pollard (7-6, 4 KOs) a former Reality Fighting and Bellator contender. Egan, born and raised in Kildare, Ireland, starred on UFC 93 in Ireland.

Looking to keep the momentum going from his win over Chris Woodall in November, former TUF vet Chuck O'Neill (12-6, 4 KOs) of East Bridgwater, Mass., will battle Dade City, Fla., welterweight Roger Carroll (13-10) in a three-round bout. Caroll has won 11 bouts by submission.

Also on the undercard, rising featherweight star and Johnson & Wales alum Charles Rosa (6-0, 3 KOs) of Boynton Beach, Fla., will return to Twin River for the fourth time in a three-round bout against Philadelphia veteran Brylan Van Artsdalen (9-9, 1 KO), an eight-time Bellator veteran.

Marshfield, Mass., featherweight Brendan Fleming (3-2) will take on Baltimore's Robert Sullivan (3-1); fellow featherweight Josh LaBerge (8-4, 3 KOs) of Fall River, Mass., will battle Philadelphia's Steve McCabe (6-14, 5 KOs); Tommy Venticinque (0-1) of Warwick, R.I., will face Rick Rivera of Springfield, Mass., in a welterweight bout; and Winthrop, Mass, featherweight Kyle Bochniak (1-0) will aim for his second win of the year when he faces Marius Enache (1-2) of Philadelphia.

UFC Vet Tom Egan Looks to Get Back on Track at CES MMA 22


Tom Egan was just a wide-eyed, 20-year-old novice with an ear-to-ear grin when he fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in his native Ireland four years ago, unaware of the pressure he was about to face.

"I had literally just put on a pair of gloves for the first time less than two years before that fight," Egan said.

The bright lights of mixed martial arts' biggest stage and the pressure of fighting in front of more than 15,000 native fans in Dublin overwhelmed the young, inexperienced Egan (7-4, 6 KOs). He lost that night by first-round knockout, and yet despite relocating to the United States a year later to further his professional career, he'd love nothing more than an opportunity to return home and do it all again.

"To go back to Dublin and win, and do it with the UFC, would mean a lot to me," said Egan, who will fight on the undercard of "CES MMA XXII" against Chip Moraza-Pollard (7-6, 4 KOs) in a three-round middleweight bout at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., on Friday, March 14th, 2014.

"I recently watched that fight again, and I was looking at myself thinking, 'Wow, what a big smile I had on my face!' Being able to fight on that stage was like growing up wanting to be in an action movie and then within two years you're starring in the biggest action film in the world.

"It was definitely a lot of pressure, but it was meant to happen, because now I'm in the United States and I have a great life here. It's been a great run."

Egan, who grew up in Kildare, a small town with a population under 9,000 in County Kildare, and speaks fluent Gaelic, relocated in 2010 to the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester, an area heavily-populated by Irish-Americans rich in Irish history and culture. He immediately felt right at home.

"I'm big into Irish history. I grew up speaking Gaelic and continue to study and speak it. I'm very passionate about it, and there's a huge amount of Irish culture here," Egan said.

"There's no shortage of people who speak Gaelic, too, or who are familiar with fighting."

Shortly after settling in, Egan met former Dorchester boxer and Ireland native Sean Mannion, who fought for the World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight world title at Madison Square Garden in 1983. Egan soon became a part of Mannion's circle, which includes many former fighters, some of Irish descent.

"Believe it or not, there are a lot of guys in there 50s who have some sort fighting background, whether it's amateur or professional," Egan said. "Sean and a lot of his buddies are still here. I knew those were definitely the guys I wanted to surround myself with.

"I'm not into MMA for the money, fame or recognition," he continued. "I initially came here to better my fighting career. I'm not in this for anything other than the mental, physical and spiritual test. I truly believe MMA is the ultimate of those tests. That's the reason I do it. I literally do it to test myself."

Egan made his U.S. MMA debut in November in 2010, beating Eric Attard by second-round knockout, and has since become a fixture on the regional circuit, including his last two fights with CES MMA. He beat Aldo Santos in August of 2013 at Twin River before losing his last fight in November to veteran Harley Beekman.

"That was disappointing for me," Egan said. "I trained hard -- maybe a little too much mentally and physically in preparation. Maybe I overthought it. I was a little burnt out going into the cage, and it was too late that night to make adjustments.

"No excuses. Harley absolutely won the fight. With this fight coming up, I learned a lot from my last time out. I learned a lot about myself. I feel like my preparation has been far greater both mentally and physically. I'm excited to get back in there."

Moraza-Pollard is coming off back-to-back losses, but has appeared in bouts for both Reality Fighting and the Bellator Fighting Championships and has faced a handful of New England's top welterweights, including Keith Jeffrey and Brett Oteri.

"He's got a lot of experience. I'm taking him very seriously," Egan said. "I feel like a win over Chip would help me get back on the right track. A win over anyone, anywhere would get me on the path again and back to where I want to be."

The main event of "CES MMA XXII" features Providence lightweight Luis Felix (10-7, 3 KOs) facing seven-time UFC vet Drew Fickett (42-20, 3 KOs) of Tucson, Ariz., who has won 31 bouts by submission.

Looking to keep the momentum going from his win over Chris Woodall in November, former TUF vet Chuck O'Neill (12-6, 4 KOs) of East Bridgwater, Mass., will battle Dade City, Fla., welterweight Roger Carroll (13-10) in a three-round bout. Caroll has won 11 bouts by submission. Lightweight contender Andres Jeudi (5-2, 1 KO) of Somerville, Mass., will face Brendan Rooney (5-1) of Shelton, Conn.

Also on the undercard, rising featherweight star and Johnson & Wales alum Charles Rosa (6-0, 3 KOs) of Boynton Beach, Fla., will return to Twin River for the fourth time in a three-round bout against Philadelphia veteran Brylan Van Artsdalen (9-9, 1 KO), an eight-time Bellator veteran.

Marshfield, Mass., featherweight Brendan Fleming (3-2) will take on Baltimore's Robert Sullivan (3-1); fellow featherweight Josh LaBerge (8-4, 3 KOs) of Fall River, Mass., will battle Philadelphia's Steve McCabe (6-14, 5 KOs); Tommy Venticinque (0-1) of Warwick, R.I., will face Rick Rivera of Springfield, Mass., in a welterweight bout; and Winthrop, Mass, featherweight Kyle Bochniak (1-0) will aim for his second win of the year when he faces Marius Enache (1-2) of Philadelphia.

Twin River Casino, located in Lincoln, R.I., is the state's largest gaming and entertainment venue as well as its top tourist and cultural attraction. Formerly known as Lincoln Park, the renovated facility offers more than 300,000 square-feet of gaming space. The casino operates more than 4,500 video slot machines and virtual table games (including blackjack and roulette), as well as live table games including blackjack, roulette, craps and more. This unique gaming facility also hosts simulcasting of the best thoroughbred and greyhound racing from around the country, a 29,000+ square foot Twin River Event Center with headline entertainment, the legendary Catch a Rising Star Comedy Club, free concerts at the Lighthouse Bar, and signature cocktails & premium cigars at Blackstone Cigar Bar. Home to Fred & Steve's Steakhouse, you can have an award-winning steak & seafood dinner, or enjoy the exciting sport bar scene at Wicked Good Bar & Grill, as well as 16 other dining outlets. Twin River offers both smoking and non-smoking gaming rooms. Twin River Casino is situated just 10 minutes from Providence and less than an hour from Boston.