PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Jan. 21st, 2014) — Twenty-one fights in just under seven years. Think about that for a second.
In a sport where an athlete’s shelf life is about as long as that of your average NFL running back, a sport where a two- or three-year layoff is the norm, not the exception, Todd Chattelle (12-9, 9 KOs) has survived every bruise, break and contusion in a remarkable career defined as much by his longevity as his success.
Friday night, he’ll step back inside the cage for the first time in 2014 and the 22nd time in his career when he faces middleweight Shedrick Goodridge (4-6, 2 KOs) in the main event of “CES MMA XXI” at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.
“I have more fights than CES has shows!” Chattelle said with a laugh.
Truth is, the two might not be as successful as they are right now without one another; this will be Chattelle’s 10th fight under CES’ promotional guidance, a stretch that includes a 4-0 finish in 2011 that helped revived Chattelle’s career during a time in which he was questioning whether or not he wanted to continue fighting.
Why so much Chattelle through the years? He’s as popular as he is prolific; win or lose, Chattelle’s bouts bring a special energy to the arena, drawing sold-out crowds that leave the fans anticipating his next fight. Few compete with the same passion and explosiveness on such a consistent basis. It’s a special symbiotic relationship between fighter and promoter that has kept Chattelle successful, active and, more importantly, relevant as he approaches his 35th birthday.
“I feel like it’s gone by so quickly,” Chattelle said. “When [CES matchmaker] Pat [Sullivan] said that to me the other day, I was like, ‘Really?!’ I’ve been on, like, half your shows. That’s pretty cool.
“If you think about it, I have 22 fights, but I’ve trained and prepared for about 30 camps, all the fights that backed out and didn’t happen. I did the rough math, and with sparring and everything, I’ve had 22 fights, but I’ve really had about 2,000 fights in my life.
“It definitely gets harder as the years go by. Sometimes it’s not even physically; it’s mentally.”
With everything Chattelle has been through growing up in Pawtucket, R.I., with four brothers, the run-ins with the wrong crowd, the adversity, it’s hard to imagine anything happening inside the cage that could slow him down.
So, when asked how much longer he can keep fighting, Chattelle just laughs.
“At the end of the day, I’ve been through some things that most people haven’t been through,” he said. “I’ve been through things war veterans have been through. I’ve been shot, I’ve been stabbed, I’ve been hit in the face with tires, I have metal plates in my face, I have a bullet in my leg, and all these things, if I let them weigh on me I’m not going to be able to continue to do it, so I put all that in the back of my mind and keep going.
“The fight itself, what’s going to happen? A bruise? A cut? It’s not really going to matter. It’s not life-threatening. I just don’t think there’s anyone out there that can threaten my life physically.Through all things, injuries, feeling good, feeling bad, I can still get up through Christ and still keep going.”
Chattelle’s renewed faith in God is his driving force. It’s what gets him out of bed each morning to continue fighting both in and outside of the cage. It’s what gets him through those tough, two-a-day training sessions leading up to a big fight.
“I’ve had a life resolution to get closer to my family and put them first more and get closer to God and put God first, first before anything, which in turn will put my family first and everything else I should be doing first.
“To have faith is everything. At any second, if I didn’t have faith I’d be like, ‘Whatever. I’m done.'”
With CES in his corner, and vice-versa, it doesn’t appear either are going anywhere anytime soon.
“I think the key is to stay focused on the main reason I stared in the first place, which was to be successful for my family, friend and children, mostly my children so they’d know if you work hard you can succeed and make it through some times and keep going,” Chattelle said.
“It’s not always easy. You get beat down, but you rest up and get ready, let your muscles, let your body heal and just mentally focus on the task at hand. You go to work.”
“CES MMA XXI,” scheduled for Friday, Jan. 24, 2014, also features the return of fan-favorites Andre Soukhamthath (7-1, 4 KOs) of Woonsocket, R.I., and CES MMA featherweight champion Rob Font (8-1, 2 KOs) of Boston.
Font will face Ahsan Abdullah (5-4, 2 KOs) of Binghamton, N.Y., in a three-round bout as he aims for his eight consecutive win and fifth overall under the promotional guidance of CES.
Soukhamthath will face his toughest test to date in a possible early candidate for Fight of the Year against undefeated Cambridge, Mass., bantamweight Kin Moy (4-0, 1 KO). Soukhamthath is making his first trip back to the Ocean State since relocating to Boca Raton, Fla., where he now trains with the famed Blackzilians. Since making his CES MMA debut in 2012, Soukhamthath has won seven consecutive fights, including a knockout win over Corey Simmons in CES’ 2013 season finale in December in which he broke a tie with Chattelle to become the promotion’s winningest fighter.
Also returning to Twin River is Melrose, Mass., heavyweight John Johnston (4-0, 4 KOs), who will attempt to keep his impressive streak of consecutive knockout wins (4) alive when he faces unbeaten William Baptiste (2-0, 1 KO) of Goldsboro, N.C.
Dinis Paiva Jr. (3-5), an East Providence, R.I., native, will look to snap his two-fight losing streak in a bantamweight bout against Franklin Isabel (4-6) of Chelsea, Mass.; while fellow bantamweight Shaun Marmas (5-5, 1 KO) faces Matt Doherty (2-0, 2 KOs), a Salem, Mass., native, in a potential Fight of the Night candidate. Marmas split two bouts in 2013, beating Tom Evans in April and losing to Abdullah in June.
Exciting prospect Willie Brown Jr. (2-0) of Meriden, Conn., will look to keep his perfect record intact in his first bout of the year against lightweight Kevin Haley (2-0, 1 KO) of Dover, N.H., and featherweight Kyle Bochniak of Winthrop, Mass., will make his professional debut in a separate three-round bout. Middleweight Adam Quitt (1-3) of Framingham, Mass., will return for his first fight since February when he battles Rocky Hill, Conn., veteran Sylvester Murataj (0-2). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
English