CES MMA returned home to The Historic Park Theater on Saturday night with CES MMA 82 – Fight For a Cause 3, a pro-am showcase that delivered a memorable homecoming performance from Cranston legend Dinis “Sweetbread” Paiva (14-9) against rugged veteran AJ Robb (6-6).
The fighters played to their strengths in round one, with Colorado’s AJ Robb focusing on leg kicks while Paiva shot right jabs and attempted straight left hands. Paiva attempted a kick to the body midround, which Robb caught to bring the action to the ground. Robb took Paiva’s back, but he was too high and Paiva was able to shake him off to return to the jab.
Paiva repeatedly popped Robb’s head back with a sharp jab in round two, following up with clean straight lefts. A sweeping right hook left swelling under Robb’s left eye. Robb again caught a kick to the midsection to take Paiva down, but Sweetbread immediately got up and returned to boxing.
Rob tried to trade with Paiva in round three, but Paiva was clearly the superior boxer. A four punch combination bloodied the Colorado native’s left eye as Paiva upped the pressure. Robb attempted one more takedown late in the round, but Paiva neutralized it. The fight reached a crescendo in the final seconds, as Robb tried to flurry and was met with counterpunches from Paiva. The proud warriors traded shots as the bout came to an end.
Scores were 30-27 (3x) for Paiva, marking an emotional return for the longtime CES standout.
“It’s been a long and winding road coming back here,” said Paiva immediately after the bout. “Thank you to CES for giving me the opportunity and the home to perform, and to my coach, family, and friends. I’m very grateful.”
“It was a magnificent performance tonight,” said CES MMA Founder Jimmy Burchfield, Sr. to the victor. “You fought like you were 20 years old again. I’ve represented thousands of athletes over the years, and there’s no one more loyal to CES than Dinis Paiva. We’re family. I’m so proud of you.”
In what was likely his last performance in the cage, Paiva gave his hometown fans and his family a performance to remember.
TURANO BARELY BREAKS A SWEAT AGAINST LOVELL
Tristian Turano (2-0) of Westerly, RI made quick work of Oklahoma City’s Gabriel Lovell (0-1) in the co-feature, scoring a first-round TKO at 0:46.
Lovell started aggressively, charging Turano to apply a headlock before wrestling him to the ground. The stronger Turano was able to reverse position and let a series of hammerfists fly before letting Lovell off the hook. The Oklahoma native had seen enough, however, indicating to the referee that he was finished.
“The story barely started,” said a fresh-faced Turano after the fight. “I’d love to be back in January.”
UNDERCARD RESULTS
In a heavyweight showdown, Springfield’s Hassan “The Bounty Hunter” Graham (3-3) submitted Providence’s Johan Bason (0-1) with a guillotine choke at 1:09 of round one. Both fighters looked to box early, with Bason circling the cage and Graham plodding forward. Graham suddenly landed a kick to the midsection and a few right hands before locking in a guillotine choke for the quick submission victory.
Providence’s Tyrime “The Dream” Da Silva (6-0) kept his unbeaten record intact, submitting Travis Floyd (3-6) via rear-naked choke in round one. Da Silva went on the offensive immediately, attempting a guillotine before landing several knees to the body and strikes to the head. Da Silva got the takedown mid way through the round, landing shots to the head before taking Floyd’s back and applying a rear naked choke for the win. Time was 2:15 of the round.
In the opening pro bout of the evening, Niyaz “The Royal Bengal Tiger” Ahmed (3-4) overcame multiple takedowns from Kyle Linder (0-3) before roaring back in round three to secure a late takedown and rear-naked choke stoppage. Linder seemed to win the first two rounds behind effective grappling and strikes, but Ahmed landed punishing kicks and elbows in between that bloodied Linder’s left eye, causing the ringside physician to examine Linder before the start of round three. Ahmed immediately took Lender down when the round began, landing a series of hammer fists before transitioning to a rear naked choke. Referee Brian Miner called a halt to the bout at 4:10 with Linder fiercely protesting the stoppage to no avail.
AMATEUR ACTION
On the amateur portion of the card, Seattle, WA’s Joe Kayumba (1-0) upset local prospect Dante Delbonis (1-1) via first round technical knockout. Delbonis opened strong with two takedowns, but the momentum shifted when Kayumba landed a head kick that dropped Delbonis. Kayumba fired a few strikes with Delbonis down, prompting a referee timeout and point deduction for an illegal strike to a downed opponent. When action resumed, Kayumba landed another kick to the head that caused a cut over Delbonis’ eye, forcing the referee to stop the bout at 2:19 of round one. Kayumba was awarded the TKO victory.
Cranston native Noah Sclama (4-1) defeated Zhedaev Shamil (2-1) of Natick, MA via second round TKO in the night’s opener. Shamil attacked Sclama with relentless knees to the body in the opening round, dropping the hometown fighter early. Shamil scored another knockdown with a knee to the chest in round two, but Sclama battled back, securing a takedown and finishing with a flurry of punches to the head, causing the referee to stop the contest at 2:25 of round two.
For more information on CES MMA 82 and all other CES events, visit cesfights.com.
