Unbeaten Eddy George of Milford, CT, faces dangerous Westport, MA, native Ali Zebian for the vacant CES MMA World Lightweight Championship Thursday, November 17 in the five-round main event of CES 71, streaming live on UFC FIGHT PASS® beginning at 8 pm ET. Tickets for CES 70 are available online at CESFights.com or the Bally’s box office. The FIGHT PASS stream features play-by-play announcer Michael Parente ( @MichaelParente); color commentator Joe Lauzon ( @JoeLauzon), a 27-time UFC vet; and FUN 107 on-air personality and cageside correspondent Madelyn Levine ( @maddieonair). Preliminary bouts start at 6:30 pm. The George-Zebian main event is tasked with topping CES’ last world title bout between Dan Dubuque and Nathan Ghareeb at CES 70, though the region’s No. 1 combat sports promotion is rarely short on thrilling moments inside the cage.
In addition to a new champion being crowned at the end of the night, CES 71 also welcomes the return of Cranston, RI, welterweight Gary Balletto III, who faces another tough test against Pat Casey of Springfield, MA; and an intriguing flyweight bout between rising prospect Mitch Raposo of Fall River, MA, and BrazilianFlavio Carvalho, who fights on U.S. soil for the first time since 2018.
CES 71’s main event showcases two fighters who’ve carved much different career paths fighting for a belt last occupied by Rhode Island’s Nate Andrews, who won it in 2018 and vacated it less than a year later.
The 30-year-old George (5-0), despite being long-considered one of New England’s top prospects, actually has less professional experience than the 28-year-old Zebian (9-2), who also has a wealth of experience under the bright lights of Bellator, Legacy Fighting Alliance, and the Professional Fighters League Challenger Series.
One of the best-kept secrets in the region, Zebian made his CES debut at CES 70 with a unanimous decision win over Sam Watford. George, despite having fought exclusively for CES since turning pro, has found other avenues to enhance his repertoire; prior to his fight at CES 69 he spent two weeks at The MMA Lab in Arizona working with the likes of Drakkar Klose and Benson Henderson. The results speak for themselves; in five pro fights, George has only been past the first round once.
Zebian is an entirely new challenge for George; the Lebanese lightweight has excelled regardless of the circumstances leading up to fight night, most notably beating Piankhi Zimmerman on short notice at Bellator 251 in 2020 amidst the pandemic and topping Aaron Blackie in April of 2022 at PFL’s Challenger Series 8.
Also on the CES 71 main card, Providence’s John Douma faces Johnny Baldridge of Orlando in a bantamweight showcase and lightweights Dion Rubio of Pawtucket, RI, and Kasey Raddon of Colorado face off in a battle of unbeatens. Heavyweight Brendan Battles of Eastham, MA, and middleweight Fran Collins of Worcester, MA, will appear on the undercard in separate three-round bouts. Stay tuned for more fight announcements and follow CES MMA on Facebook, Instagram 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.
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. UFC FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 17,000 bouts from dozens of combat sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort, located in Lincoln, RI, is the state’s largest gaming and entertainment venue as well as its top tourist and cultural attraction. Formerly known as Lincoln Park and then Twin River Casino Hotel, the renovated facility offers 162,000 square-feet of gaming space with over 5,000 gaming positions. The casino operates over 4,100 slot machines and virtual table games (including blackjack and roulette), as well as 125 live table games including blackjack, roulette, craps, sports betting, 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, free concerts at the Lighthouse Bar, incredible food and drinks at Fred & Steve’s Steakhouse, and authentic Italian cuisine at Jerry Longo’s Meatballs & Martinis. The hotel at Bally’s Lincoln features 136 rooms and suites. Amenities include an indoor pool with a stone fireplace feature wall, multiple meeting space, a fitness center and an outdoor courtyard off the pool and lobby that is also available for special events. Guests may access the hotel from the casino’s north entrance.
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