CES MMA

CES MMA
Official CES MMA logo

CES MMA (Classic Entertainment & Sports) is a mixed martial arts promotional firm based out of Providence, Rhode Island founded by boxing promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr. It promoted the first sanctioned professional mixed martial event in the state of Rhode Island on September 17, 2010, at Twin River Casino.

Since its inception, CES MMA has promoted and developed the careers of several current and former Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) contenders, including John Howard, Chuck O'Neil, Tateki Matsuda, Charles Rosa, Alex Karalexis, Thomas Egan, Dominique Steele, Rob Font and Ricardo Funch.

Other UFC veterans to appear on CES MMA cards include David Loiseau and Drew Fickett. Several CES MMA alums have also made successful transitions to Bellator MMA, most notably Brennan Ward, who won his first three professional fights under the guidance of CES MMA before winning Bellator's middleweight tournament in 2013.

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 wrestler Dave Bautista, before signing a multi-year broadcast deal with AXS TV in September 2014.

CES MMA held its first event September 17, 2010, at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, the state's first sanctioned professional mixed martial arts event. The card featured seven bouts, including the main event between Rhode Island native and former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Reality Fighting vet Mike Campbell and Magno Almeida of Woburn, Massachusetts. Almeida won by rear naked choke submission at the 4:03 mark of the opening round.