Chordale Booker celebrates his win after capturing the WBC USNBC Super Welterweight Title in last night's co-main event at Mohegan Sun Arena.
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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
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 online. Follow CES MMA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESMMA.
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 online. 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.
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.
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–
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https://tomficklin.blogspot.com/2022/05/tune-into-first-fridays-with-maurice.html
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You've heard mention of the Armory community garden during several past management team meetings and you are invited to a special day at the garden tomorrow, Saturday June 4th from 12 - 2 pm.
We will be having an abbreviated garden workday where we do some planting, watering and weeding, and we will also have a presentation from Yale School of Architecture professor Elihu Rubin and several of his students (who are also all Armory gardeners) on our beloved Goffe Street Armory which serves as a beautiful backdrop to the garden AND we'll be having a cooking demo from the one and only Farmer D!
The workday will run from 12 - 12:30 pm, the Armory presentation from 12:30 - 1 pm, and the cooking demo from 1 - 2 pm. Please feel free to share among your networks as we learn more about our historic armory and efforts to save it and enjoy some delicious vegan food as well.
The garden is located at 97 County Street (one-way side) across the street from Goffe Street Park.
See the flyer below for more info and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow...
Ida B. Wells and Frederick Douglass at the Stetson Branch Library last Sunday… what a great event from our member organization The Greater New Haven African American Historical Society and Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library!
Visit the second floor of the New Stetson Branch Library and take in the breathtaking artwork of local artist Katro Storm, Carl Van Vechten’s Harlem Heroes portrait collection, “O, Write My Name”, and African Artwork donated by the Yale University ~ Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut. Our thanks to Gabe Da Silva and The Frame Shop & Da Silva Gallery.
[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Collage featuring Carl Van Vechten’s Harlem Heroes portraits, artist Katro Stom’s paintings hung on a green wall above the library’s teen fiction collection, a portrait of Trayvon Martin by artist Katro Strom hung outside the Teen Discovery Lounge of Stetson Library, and African artwork hung on the walls among Stetson Library’s African Diaspora Non-Fiction collection.]
New Haven Free Public Library
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The Connecticut Bar Association hosts free legal advice clinics throughout the year. The next free legal advice clinic will be held January 25 and January 26. Meet remotely with a volunteer lawyer for a 30-minute session to receive free legal advice. Registration is required. https://www.ctbar.org/ProBonoClinic
Today the city of New Haven began the process of distributing at-home rapid tests to essential staff with symptoms or COVID exposures – including teachers and other school staff ahead of tomorrow’s return to the classroom. This will help ensure essential staff can safely return to work. This initial distribution is part of 10,000 tests the city obtained in recent days.
The city has also received 9,000 tests from the State of Connecticut. Distribution of those tests will begin tomorrow. This initial tranche of tests will be distributed to non-profit service providers who work with vulnerable communities – such as the elderly and those experiencing homelessness. A large portion of these tests will also be dedicated to New Haven Public School children with symptoms or COVID exposures. NHPS will share information directly with families in the near future on this.
While we do not yet have enough rapid tests to distribute widely to the public, we expect to receive additional tests from the state, at which time we will announce additional distributions.
If you need to get tested, Wren labs is re-opening their testing site on the New Haven Green tomorrow afternoon (3-6 PM) and will continue to operate the 60 Sargent Drive location each morning (8 AM – Noon) except for Fridays. No appointments are required, and there may be wait time.
As a reminder, get vaccinated, boosted and wear your masks.
Check out the City’s Covid website at https://covid19.newhavenct.gov/ or call: 203-946-6999 for more information.
Thanks everyone!
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Malcolm X’s daughter calls for congressional probe of assassination
Real Talk with Maurice Williams, on the Tom Ficklin Radio Show, 11 am eastern Friday Jan 7. 2022. Show focus: Millions Jobs Campaign by the NAACP. Clink link
First Friday's Real Talk with Maurice Williams, on the Tom Ficklin Radio Show
A tribute to recently deceased New Haven native Fred Parris, of the Five Satins. This photo, from The New Haven Sound by Paul Lepri, shows Mr. Parris on the far right with four of the Five (from left to right: Nate Moseley, Sy Hopkins, and Lew Peeples). Here's a link to their 1956 hit "In the Still of the Nite:" https://buff.ly/3FWRFVL
[Image Description: A black and white photo of four members of The Five Satins, all wearing matching suits. From left to right, members Nate Moseley, Sy Hopkins, and Lew Peeples pose singing with their arms outstretched to the right. On the far right, Fred Parris is turned to the left, looking up and singing.]
"This is all very raw and real and heartbreaking, but I also love the positive feelings of this story — Emmett’s death is not in vain. His story will now be highlighted in history books. We deeply appreciate MJ’s vision and passion to bring this important Historical event to light, for all of America and the World to see." - James Van Evers, on set photographer for #WomenOfTheMovement.
City Hall with an update on the parking ban. Por favor espere para escuchar este mensaje en español.
The citywide parking ban will be lifted at 12:00 PM (noon) today. If you’ve parking in a school lot please remove your car by 2 PM. If you’ve parked in a Yale lot please remove your car by 5 PM. We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation.
Please remember to clear your sidewalk – it’s the law.
Thanks, and have a good day.
