comeback (2)

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Older and wiser, Collins aims to complete the ultimate comeback story in world title bout this Saturday at
CES 72 at Foxwoods Resort Casino
MASHANTUCKET, Conn.  In combat sports, title shots don’t come overnight. Neither does success. For Fran "The Fury" Collins, it’s taken more than a decade – with a lot of turbulence in between – to get closer than most to reaching the pinnacle of his craft.

In 72 hours, the 37-year-old Collins returns to the cage for the third time since his comeback to face New Hampshire’s Tim Caron for the vacant CES MMA World Middleweight Title in the main event of CES 72 scheduled for this Saturday, March 18 at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Great Cedar Showroom.

The Collins-Caron main event headlines a full day of mixed martial arts, which also includes seven pro fights and six amateur bouts beginning at 6:30 pm. Among them is eight-time UFC veteran and Hartford, CT, native William "Knightmare" Knight (11-5), who has been added to the card in a heavyweight showdown against 22-fight vet Jordan Powell – Knight’s first appearance with CES MMA since January of 2020. Tickets are available online at CESFights.com or Foxwoods.com or the Foxwoods box office.

There’s a lot to unpack with Collins reaching main event status only nine months after resuming his career following a 10-year layoff. An Irish fighter competing for a world title on St. Patrick’s Day weekend is also a great surface-level storyline, but there’s more to Collins’ legacy than heritage.

Most fighters begin to reach their physical prime around the time Collins stepped away from the sport, and while there’s a chance he could’ve fought for a title much sooner had he not endured such a long layoff, Collins says the late 20s version of "The Fury" might not have been ready for such a life-changing opportunity.

"The difference is when you’re younger you’re just going out there having fun," Collins said. "MMA is more of an art to me now. I take it much more seriously from the stretching to the breathing to the mobility. There’s so much more that goes into this than just going out there and scrapping."

The fact Collins has reached this stage is impressive in and of itself. A U.S. Air Force veteran and recovering alcoholic – he’s been sober since June 12, 2020 – Collins spent part of his time away from MMA pursuing semipro football, a sport he dominated in high school. MMA temporarily kept him out of trouble; his drinking problems began after his military career, but when he turned pro in 2011 he managed to focus long enough until alcoholism consumed him again just a couple years.

Life changed when a coworker told him he had a drinking problem. He quit the next day, beginning the inevitable road back to MMA. Within two years, he returned to the cage, beating Deran Martinez in 23 seconds at CES 69 in June.

Make no mistake, the comeback wasn’t about scratching an itch or proving a point, nor was it some one-off bucket-list item. Collins decided to rededicate his life to this sport for the sole purpose of chasing a world title, an opportunity to open doors that could help him provide for his 12-year-old daughter.

"I knew I’d get here," Collins said. "I manifested it in my mind. It’s about knowing what I can do."

"The toughest part was getting my mind right. When you become sober, you have to relearn everything. It was mainly the mental game. Anyone who’s competed will tell you it’s 85 percent mental. It took a long time, even the first couple of fights. Then you get to a point where you are in a groove and you’re like, ‘Just put me in there with anyone.’"

Collins reached that point in his last fight at CES 70 against Mus'Aib Baiyina. He struggled early, ran out of gas, and then found his second wind in the final round, finishing the fight via ground and pound with just over two minutes remaining.

"After grinding through it, I got to the end and realized, ‘I’m still here,’" Collins said. "That was the turning point for me to declare I’m ready for a title shot."

He faces a tall order Saturday against the durable, 35-year-old Caron (12-5, 5 KOs), also a military veteran and a five-time Bellator vet who last fought for CES in 2018 while making an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series that same year. Caron also comes in hot, having beat 7-2 Salaiman Ahmadyar and 9-3 Alton Cunningham in his last two fights.

"I’m not worried. I know it’s an ‘any given Sunday’ scenario and he’s more experienced, but when you fight against [coach and former UFC world heavyweight title challenger] Gabriel Gonzaga every day in camp, it’s hard to be scared of many things," Collins said.

"I heard rumors that [Caron] says he’s going to knock me out. I find that funny considering he hasn’t finished any of his last few fights. We’ll see. All the best to him. Win, lose, or draw, we’ll shake hands when it’s all said and done."

Collins’ demeanor is that of a much more mature fighter who sees the game differently than he did a decade ago. Despite being nicknamed "The Fury" – an fitting nickname given his propensity to "go 110 percent with everything I do" – Collins has learned to pull back when necessary and push harder when it’s time to test his limits. He’s even imparted his wisdom on younger fighters when they’ve been willing to listen. But what’s most important now is focusing on Saturday night and what’s at stake. The Fran Collins who steps inside the cage this weekend is much more prepared for this opportunity than the one who took the region by storm more than a decade ago.

"If you are serious about this and it’s what you want to do, then each fight should sharpen one tool for the next fight," Collins said. "All of a sudden, you have this tool belt with everything in it. You have to remained focused. This is not a joke. You can lose your life inside that cage. This sport is not for the faint of heart."

Full fight card details are available onlineFollow CES MMA on FacebookInstagram and Twitter at @CESMMA.
INFORMATION
CES MMA is a mixed martial arts promotional company based out of Providence, R.I., founded by legendary boxing promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr. It promoted the first sanctioned professional MMA event in the state of Rhode Island on Sept. 17, 2010 at Twin River Casino Hotel. Since its inception, CES MMA has been a gateway to the UFC developing the careers of UFC contenders Calvin Kattar, Rob Font, Charles Rosa, William Knight, Mike Rodriguez, Tony Gravely, Andre Soukhamthath and others. In October 2012, CES MMA promoted its first pay-per-view event at The Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, featuring the professional MMA debut of former WWE superstar Dave Bautista.

Since 1992, Foxwoods Resort Casino has offered guests The Wonder Of It All as the premier resort destination in the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in seven casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, exclusive retailers and free-to-play online casino games. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, a federally recognized Indian tribe located at one of the oldest reservations in existence, Mashantucket, in Southeastern Connecticut. As pioneers of the Indian casino gaming industry, the history of the Mashantucket Pequots reveals one of America's greatest come-back stories. Today, the tribe owns and operates one of the largest gaming resort destinations in North America, Foxwoods Resort Casino, along with a variety of complementary business enterprises, including Eastern Connecticut's premiere luxury golf experience, Lake of Isles, and the decadent Spa at Norwich Inn. As one of the highest revenue contributors and largest employers in Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequots have hosted more than 330 million visitors since 1992 and contributed over $4 billion in slot revenue payments to the State through a first-of-its-kind agreement, established in 1993. Likewise, the tribe has contributed hundreds of millions in donations and sponsorships to support worthy charities, community events and programs, and other tribes in need, locally and throughout the United States.  
–CES–
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Older and wiser, Collins aims to complete the ultimate comeback story in world title bout this Saturday at
CES 72 at Foxwoods Resort Casino
 

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Former three-time world champion Ricardo Mayorga will return to the ring for the first time in more than a year at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., when he faces Raul Munoz in the eight-round main event Feb. 21st, 2014. The Mayorga-Munoz bout will be the headliner of Classic Entertainment & Sports' 2014 season debut

CES MEDIA ALERT


Two-time champ Mayorga hopes to tame Munoz in long-awaited return Feb. 21st at Twin River 


 


                       
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Providence's Toka Kahn will return to his hometown and put his unbeaten record on the line on the undercard of CES' Feb. 21st event at Twin River Casino.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Feb. 3rd, 2014) -- For at least one night, Twin River Casino will turn into 19th century Spain complete with the crafty matador trying to tame the hard-charging bull.

 

Sticking to its promise of bringing bigger, bolder main events to its loyal fan base in 2014, Classic Entertainment & Sports will kick off its Twin River Fight Series with an old-fashioned bullfight as former two-time world champion Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KOs) faces Raul "El Toro" Munoz (22-16-1, 16 KOs) in the eight-round super middleweight main event Friday, Feb. 21st, 2014.

 

Tickets for the event are priced at $41, $101 and $126 (VIP) and can be purchased by calling 401-724-2253/2254, online at www.cesboxing.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Players Club at Twin River. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

 

The colorful Mayorga, 40, is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion and WBC light middleweight title-holder. He spent the first seven years of his professional career fighting overseas in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and his native Nicaragua -- all 10- and 12-round bouts, which is unprecedented in this era -- before making his U.S. debut in 2001 with a knockout win over Elias Cruz in Nevada.

 

Several months later, now sporting a 22-3-1 record, Mayorga took his first shot at a world title against WBA champion Andrew Lewis, but the fight ended prematurely due to an accidental head-butt. He got another chance the following year and this time stopped the previously-unbeaten Lewis in the fifth round to capture the title.

 

Six months later, Mayorga stunned the late Vernon Forrest, beating the undefeated WBC welterweight champ by third-round knockout to add another title to his collection. His short-lived reign included a majority decision win over Forrest in the rematch before he lost both titles to Corey Spinks in December of 2003, but Mayorga regained his footing two years later in a new weight class when he beat Michael Piccirillo to capture the vacant WBC light middleweight title, his third world championship.  

 

Mayorga's latest reign ended abruptly with a knockout loss to the legendary Oscar De La Hoya, but in a remarkable stretch between 2000 and 2006, Mayorga lost just three bouts, all against elite fighters in his weight class (Spinks, Felix Trinidad and De La Hoya), while winning 14 times. He bounced back from the De La Hoya loss with an impressive win over Fernando Vargas before losing to Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, the latter in the 12th and final round of their scheduled 12-round world-title bout when Mayorga broke his finger. The Cotto fight was supposed to be his farewell bout, but Mayorga has decided to return for one last run beginning Feb. 21st at Twin River.

 

Munoz's resume is a who's who of boxing, including bouts against Jermain Taylor, Mike Jones, Alfonso Gomez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Austin Trout, Dmitriy Salita and the late Hector Camacho Sr. The 37-year-old Mexican veteran, born and raised in Topeka, Kan., will be fighting for the first time since October of 2012.

 

The Feb. 21st undercard features the homecoming of Providence native Toka Kahn (9-0, 6 KOs), a former highly-decorated amateur and now an undefeated super featherweight prospect fighting under the promotional guidance of Bob Arum's Top Rank Boxing. Kahn will fight in his hometown for the first time since 2012 in a six-round bout.

 

"The Vermont Bully" Kevin Cobbs (7-1, 2 KOs) will end his year-long layoff in a four-round light heavyweight bout while Pawtucket, R.I., middleweight Thomas Falowo (10-2, 7 KOs) will return for the first time since his loss to Chris Chatman in July of 2012 in a separate six-round bout. The undercard also features the highly-anticipated return of unbeaten Springfield, Mass., welterweight Zack Ramsey (6-0, 3 KOs), who will star in a six-round bout, and the Twin River debut of Louisiana cruiserweight Alvin Vermall (1-0, 1 KO) fighting in a separate four-round bout.  

 

-- CES --

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