CES MMA: Path To Destruction - Fight Card Updates

[keithlewis]

Chattelle, Olson Set for Rematch at CES MMA on April 12


Todd Chattelle doesn't care much about revenge. As far as he's concerned, his upcoming rematch against Dennis Olson is as new a fight to him as any random bout against a first-time challenger.

"We've both grown so much," said Chattelle (11-8, 8 KOs), who lost his professional debut to Olson by unanimous decision in a five-round bout in 2007. "It's been six years, so this is a new, fresh fight for me. It's time for me to go, go, go ... I'm not sure how much more time I've got left."

The Pawtucket, R.I., native, who turned 34 in February, admits the daily wear and tear of mixed martial arts has caught up to him - "Some days are good, some days are bad," he says - but still has enough left in the tank to make one last run at championship glory, which could begin Friday, April 12th, 2013 at Twin River Casino when he faces Olson at "Path To Destruction," presented by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports.

As Chattelle pointed out, both fighters have come a long way since their original bout in 2007. At one point, Chattelle was treading water at 6-6 following a knockout loss to Derek Brunson in 2010, uncertain where his career would take him, until he signed a promotional agreement with CES and won his next four bouts, including CES' inaugural middleweight title bout against Brett Oteri. Following back-to-back losses last year, "The Hulk" rebounded in December with a convincing submission win over Robby Roberts to put him back in the conversation among the top middleweights in the region.

Perhaps now is the perfect time for Chattelle to face Olson (12-7, 1 KO), an Amherst, N.H., native who is coming off losses in three of his last four fights and hasn't stepped inside the cage since October of 2011 when he lost a unanimous decision to former Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) veteran and current CES MMA middleweight champ John "Doomsday" Howard.

"He might be a little rusty," Chattelle said. "I'm not too far removed from my last fight. I'll be fresh."

Olson isn't concerned.

"I will be non-stop, bell to bell, every round," he said. "Both myself and Todd have had five years of experience since we last met in the cage, however, I feel that at 27 years old I'm really just reaching my athletic prime. I have nothing but respect for Todd and his camp, but I think my pace and forward motion will be a lot for him to deal with. I have trained very hard for this fight. I've never been so mentally and physically prepared for a competition in my life."

Given the amount of time that has passed since Chattelle and Olson last fought (they actually squared off in a boxing ring, not a cage), there's not much either fighter could gain by digging into the vault for a copy of the videotape, though Chattelle still remembers the details as if it happened yesterday.

"Two things in particular I remember," Chattelle said, "First, I hit him in the second or third round and he went through the ropes. It looked like he was hurt. The referee stood him back up and they resumed the fight. At the end of the fourth, he got me with a real big slam that made a lot of noise. I wasn't hurt, but I think it sealed the win for him."

Asked if he thought he should've won the decision, Chattelle said, "I can't really remember it like that, but I think maybe it should've been a majority draw."

Chattelle will now have the opportunity to turn the tables, albeit against a fighter who has developed drastically through the years since the two last fought. After beating Chattelle in what was his fourth professional fight, Olson lost to Woody Weatherby - Chattelle's first victim under CES' promotional guidance - before winning eight of his next nine fights with the loss coming against former UFC contender David Branch at the Bellator Fighting Championships in 2009.

Suffice to say, both Chattelle and Olson have endured their share of ups and downs over the past six years. Chattelle alternated wins and losses for a year and a half before signing with CES, while Olson hit a bump in the road in the midst of his second four-fight win streak when he lost consecutive bouts to Dan Cramer, Rick Hawn and Tom Moreau, who have 30 combined victories between them; since beating Olson, Hawn has become a staple on Bellator's most recent fight cards, winning six of his eight bouts with that respective promotion.

Chattelle, in a way, is right - this feels more like a statement fight for each side rather than a rematch. With everything that's happened to both fighters in between, they each need this win a lot more now than they did six years ago. The major difference this time is Olson will come up in weight to face Chattelle at 185 pounds, not in the welterweight division where he's fought most of his fights. Chattelle is more comfortable at middleweight, which he hopes gives him the edge in next month's rematch.

"That might be my biggest advantage," Chattelle said.

Strangely enough, Chattelle never sought after a rematch with Olson, but he's thankful for the opportunity, if not for anything other than to show how much he's grown over the years and how much he's learned, even in defeat.

"My joints hurt, my body aches - there's not a lot of time left for me to show what I can do in this sport," Chattelle said, "but I'm going to take advantage of the time I do have left.

"Over these last few years, I've grown and become a much better fighter. I'm a much different fighter, too, just like he is. He'd probably be in the Top 10 right now, but he just hasn't fought in a while. It's going to be an exciting fight."

The undercard of "Path To Destruction" features an eclectic mix of the region's top talent, including Howard (17-7, 8 KOs), the former UFC vet, who will face Iowa's Jason Louck (15-10, 7 KOs) in a middleweight bout, and Rhode Island natives Shaun Marmas (4-4, 1 KO) of Coventry and Providence's Thomas Evans (2-1), who will clash in a three-round featherweight bout.

The show-stopped might be the highly-anticipated featherweight bout between Lucas Cruz (6-0, 2 KOs) and Rob Font (5-1, 1 KO), two Boston natives who will battle for bragging rights, along with regional supremacy in the 145-pound division. Also on the undercard, TriForce's Keenan Raymond will debut against Northborough, Mass., lightweight Jay Bakanowski (1-1); Kody Norby (3-0) of Woonsocket, R.I., will put his unbeaten record on the line against flyweight Jimmy Grant (3-1) of Carlstadt, N.J.; and welterweight Toby Oden (1-0) of Milford, Mass., will return against Jersey City veteran Emmanuel Walo (2-1).

Fan-favorite Dinis Paiva Jr. (3-3, 1 KO) of East Providence, R.I., will also be back in action searching for his third consecutive win against Cambridge, Mass., native Kin Moy (2-0); and Massachusetts natives Matt Doherty (1-0, 1 KO) of Salem and Whitman's Johnny Campbell (5-4, 3 KOs) will square off in a bantamweight bout. Unbeaten lightweight Nate Andrews (3-0, 1 KO) will also be back in action in a separate three-round bout.

Tickets for "Path To Destruction" are $36.00, $56.00, $101.00 and $126.00 and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at http://www.cesmma.com or http://www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for "Path To Destruction." Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance).

[keithlewis]

Font Faces Another Tall Task at CES MMA: Path to Destruction


Rather than sit back and wait for the right fight to come to him, Rob Font has taken a much more proactive approach to his budding mixed martial arts career.

"If you're willing to fight all of the tougher guys no one else wants to fight, you can stay busy," said the Boston native, who'll return to the cage Friday night at Twin River Casino. "If you try to look for that guy with a 5-5 record, it might not work out."

No wonder Font (5-1, 1 KO) has been so active this year; in February, he dominated former No. 1-ranked featherweight Saul Almeida in one of the early-candidates for the 2013 upset of the year, and now he's preparing for another tall task Friday, April 12th, 2013 when he faces undefeated Lucas Cruz (6-0, 2 KOs) on the undercard of Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports' "Path Of Destruction" card.

Coincidentally, Font has carved his own path the old-fashioned way by taking on whoever stands in front of him, regardless of record, height or whatever intangible that might work against him. The win over Almeida, a former Bellator Fighting Championships veteran, was the biggest of his career, which began professionally in 2011, but he could surpass that Friday if he upends Cruz, a rising star also fighting out of Boston who has racked up his own impressive resume since he first stepped into the cage two years ago.

"This is a totally different matchup," said Font, referring primarily to the contrast in style between Almeida and Cruz, not to mention Almeida's lanky, 6-foot-1 frame, "but I honestly think it's a better matchup for me stylistically.

"With Almeida, you're dealing with his length and his grappling. Cruz comes forward, and I think I'm a better counterpuncher than anyone he's ever fought."

Against Almeida, Cruz stayed on the outside and used a deadly arsenal of front- and rear-leg kicks, along with his jab, to keep his taller opponent at bay.

"Everyone who fights tall guys always tries to get on the inside and work the body, but I didn't want to get too close where he could take me down," Font said. "I could definitely see his frustration building up. He tried to shoot for a takedown like three or four times, but he wasn't even close. I knew his whole game plan; he likes to take you down, stay on top and smother you."

Can Font prevent Cruz from implementing his own game plan? Chances are both fighters stay on their feet for the duration of the fight, which is the way Font wants it.

"I love those kind of fights," he said. "Those are the fights I do well in. I can't wait. He's a little like [Ultimate Fighting Championships middleweight champion] Anderson Silva in that he always comes forward. He likes to clinch a lot and drive those knees. I need a lot of lateral movement and to keep my jab in his face the whole time."

Cruz not only presents a different challenge, but perhaps the most difficult fight of Font's young career. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy," the 23-year-old Cruz last fought in December when he won a unanimous decision against previously-unbeaten featherweight Andres Jeudi. Prior to that, he won convincingly against veterans John Ortolani (first-round knockout) and Pete Jeffrey (first-round submission) to earn a spot among the top five fighters in his weight class in the northeast. Typically a lightweight, Cruz is moving down to featherweight for this fight and, in doing so, taking on one of the hottest fighters in this weight class.

With a win Friday, Font could wind up in the same conversation among the best featherweights in the region.

"That'd be awesome," Font said. "I feel I've been battle-tested, and Cruz is another worthy opponent."