We finally have some activity from a New England based promotion, as CES will be putting on an event in Orlando, Florida on April 30th; the first event since CES last held an event in Rhode Island on October 14th. We spoke with the promotion this afternoon, and they confirmed that they'll be holding an event in Orlando, Florida at the end of April, and it will essentially be a New England vs. Florida card. We've already seen local fighters posting on social media about fighting on April 30th, so it's safe to assume that Connor Matthews and Yuri Panferov will be on the card, and from what we have seen, Dinis Paiva will be headlining the show.
This is great work by the CES crew, as they were able to work with a commission that they have never worked with before, and secure a venue in order to make this event come to fruition. Making the finances work with an event like this is difficult, as expenses increase drastically when you are flying in fighters and their corners to Florida from New England. Limited to no seating capacity in New England makes it virtually impossible for these promotions to conduct events in New England, and until the athletic commissions get off their collective asses and try to do something in the region, the fighters will continue to be handicapped, and will stymy their growth in this beautiful sport.
We look forward to covering this event, and giving the content that it deserves, as CES has found a way to put these guys in the cage, albeit, outside of the region. Something is better than nothing!
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL NEW ENGLAND ATHLETIC COMMISSIONS: Figure-it-the-fuck-out!!! States in the south and midwest are putting on shows with no issues with Covid transmission.....and they have fans in attendance. This is an embarrassment for all bureaucrats involved in combat sports in New England. If you care about the fighters and the sport, then stand up and do something, and get these fighters active! You are stunting the growth of these fighters and the sport in our region.....for what??? Have some balls. *steps off of soapbox*
