Diego Silva cruised to a dominant win in a title fight against Andre Soukhamthath, defeating him via unanimous decision after five rounds of action.
The fight headlined CES 66, which took place at the Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort in Lincoln, Rhode Island, USA.
Silva dominated the first four rounds of the fight, taking Soukhamthath down in every frame and often using ground and pound to control the positions.
Soukhamthath’s best round was the very last frame, nearly stopping Silva at one point. With just over a minute left in the fight, Soukhamthath dropped Silva with a knee to the body in the clinch position.
He then took a dominant position on the ground, where he unloaded with punches to the head of Silva. The moment gave Soukhamthath a last-minute chance to steal the fight with a stoppage, although that never came about.
Soukhamthath was returning to CES in this fight, appearing in the promotion for the first time since 2016.
The former UFC fighter announced his retirement after the loss.
“I’m putting my gloves away. I’m hanging [up] my gloves. I’m done … I tried the best I can. I had a great camp and I still lost. It’s time to move on,” said Soukhamthath in his post-fight interview.
Soukhamthath was the CES Bantamweight Champion in 2016, claiming the belt before signing with the UFC and having a seven-fight run with the promotion.
Silva had a win in his previous appearance, submitting Marcone Muniz in October 2021.
Goff Earns CES Belt With Ground and Pound
Billy Goff became the latest CES Welterweight Champion in the co-main event, causing a first-round stoppage win over Gary Balletto Jr.
The finish came due to a brutal cut that Balletto Jr. suffered on the ground.
Goff scored a takedown, allowing him to take half guard and begin landing ground and pound shots.
These strikes hurt Balletto open, causing a cut that he pointed out to the referee after he returned to his feet. This motion to the referee from Goff caused an end to the fight.
Balletto’s best moment came in the opening minute of the fight, dropping Goff with a right cross.
Goff, a two-time Bellator fighter, entered the weekend on a two-fight winning streak.
The fight was Balletto Jr.’s first title appearance after scoring seven wins through nine fights in CES.
Balletto Jr. endorsed Goff following the fight.
“I’m excited to see where Billy [Goff] goes next. I’m rooting for him,” said Balletto Jr. in his post-fight interview.
Gomez Takes Quick Loss In Return
Former UFC fighter Joey Gomez had an unsuccessful return to the cage on Friday night, getting stopped in just 18 seconds by Vladimir Kazbekov.
Kazbekov hurt Gomez on the feet with a series of punches that stunned Gomez and made him fall to the ground hard. A referee was quick to step in right after.
Gomez was appearing for the first time in over five years. He had a two-fight UFC run in 2016, losing both bouts and then departing the promotion.
Kazbekov was also returning, albeit after a shorter break. His last fight was in February 2020, where he beat Eric Wilson.
Da Silva Adds Second Win To Record
Tyrime Da Silva had a quick win in his showing, using dominant ground and pound to defeat Eduardo Rodrigues.
Da Silva put an end to this fight in the second minute, cutting Rodrigues open with strikes and making the referee step in.
Da Silva won his pro debut just a few months before, defeating Josh Hardy at CES 65, scoring a win in just 41 seconds that time around.
Rodrigues took his first pro loss in his previous appearance, getting stopped by Nathan Ghareeb on a CES card in September 2021.
Undefeated Matthews Scores Another Fast Win
Connor Matthews kept his undefeated pro run alive on Friday night, stopping Josh Hardy in the first round for his fifth win.
Hardy slipped in the opening minute after throwing a kick. Matthews capitalized on this mistake, going to the ground and taking the back of Hardy.
Matthews flattened Hardy out and applied a rear naked choke to end the fight in the first round.
All five of Matthews’ pro wins have come in the first frame, with four of the those ending via submission.
Hardy now has a negative pro record of one win and three losses.
Rubio Earns Second Win
Dion Rubio picked up his second pro win to open the main card, stopping Bobby Casale in the first round with strikes.
The fight came to a close in the fourth minute, as Rubio strung together a combination of strikes that made the referee step in. Both fighters seemed to be a little confused by this stoppage, both thinking it was premature.
Casale was turning pro after a six-fight amateur run that resulted in three wins and three losses.
Rubio’s previous pro fight was a submission win over Leonardo Ladeira on a Cage Titans card last year.
Main Card Quick Results
Main Card (8:00PM EST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 8: Diego Silva def. Andre Soukhamthath via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant CES Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 7: Billy Goff def. Gary Balletto Jr. via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:34) (Vacant CES Welterweight Championship)
Bout 6: Vladimir Kazbekov def. Joey Gomez via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:18)
Bout 5: Tyrime Da Silva def. Eduardo Rodrigues via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:42)
Bout 4: Connor Matthew def. Josh Hardy via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 0:48)
Bout 3: Dion Rubio def. Bobby Casale via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:37)
Preliminary Card
Bout 2: Travis Demko def. DaJuan Robinson via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:47)
Bout 1: Robert Varricchio def. Turner Williams via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:31)
Knockdown News 