Text by: Mariano A. Agmi
Photos by: Will Paul
MASHANTUCKET, CT – It only took Charles "Boston Strong" Rosa (17-8) 2 minutes and 45 seconds to submit Josh "Hook On" Harvey (8-3-1) at Foxwoods Resort Casino in the CES MMA 77 main event on Friday night. And yet, it took Charles Rosa a dozen years of blood, sweat and tears as a professional mixed martial artist to win his first world championship.
The matchup was part of a massive professional and amateur show televised live on Triller TV.
"I’m the toughest, roughest Bostonian in the world," shouted an elated Charles Rosa moments after winning the CES MMA Lightweight title. "My Dad told me a long time ago: tough times don’t last, tough people do. I’ve had a tough road in my life. I’ve been through a lot of stuff, and it’s all for this moment right here."
Indeed, Rosa has lived an eventful life full of ups and downs. From losing his two older brothers to drug overdoses a year apart when he was a teenager in Peabody, MA, to vowing to set an example for his 3 younger siblings that began with earning a college degree in culinary arts and nutrition from Johnson & Wales University, continued with a career as a chef at a top steakhouse and an MMA career that made him famous and took him all around the world.
In the process, Rosa fought 13 times for the UFC, earned 3 ‘Fight of the Night’ performance bonuses and became a commentator, motivational speaker, and trainer. The only thing missing in his illustrious career was the distinction of winning a world title.
That’s no longer the case. As the sun rose at Foxwoods on Saturday morning, Charles Rosa was still roaming the hallways of the casino as the new CES MMA World Lightweight Champion, his coveted belt around his waist. The fact that the Peabody native won his title close to his hometown with the same organization that helped propel him to a 9-0 career start made the win even sweeter.
In the weeks leading up to the lightweight clash, Rosa surmised that his ground game was superior to Harvey’s based on his vast jiu-jitsu background.
Rosa wasted no time proving that point in the first round, taking Harvey down and attempting a choke while landing hard knees to the body. Harvey bravely fought to get back on his feet, but his success was short lived. Just as Harvey got up, Rosa met him with a guillotine choke. The 37-year-old got good leverage and then dropped to the mat, applying incredible pressure that gave Harvey no choice but to surrender.
With that, Charles "Boston Strong" Rosa began a new chapter in his MMA career as a world champion.
"This belt means the world to me," admitted an emotional Rosa to the delight of the crowd. "But something that means even more to me is my dad. He’s here today. It’s his birthday. This belt is for my dad: happy birthday, Dad. I love you!"
It was a fitting gesture for a man who has dedicated his life to both his family and his craft.
Yorgan DeCastro overwhelms ‘King’ Kevin Ray Sears Jr.
Charles Rosa wasn’t the only UFC veteran to win a world title on Friday. In a battle of giants, Yorgan "The Mad Titan" DeCastro (10-5) stopped "King" Kevin Ray Sears, Jr. (9-8) to win the CES MMA World Heavyweight Championship in the evening’s co-main event.
DeCastro, who has been a professional MMA fighter since 2017, wasted little time asserting his superior grappling skills against Sears, putting the Colorado native in a headlock and tossing him to the canvas. The Fall River, MA resident by way of Cape Verde went on to rain down heavy left hands on his opponent, causing the referee to halt the contest at 2:42 of the very first round.
"I want to give this moment to my opponent," said the gracious DeCastro after the bout. "He lost his father recently, and I know he’s been through a lot."
Kevin Ray Sears Jr. took the opportunity to thank his fans for their support throughout his career, which saw him amass a 14-8 record when counting his amateur and pro bouts since 2011.
"Hands down to the new champ," said an emotional Sears. "Yorgan is a great guy. My father passed away last month and I’ve been going through a lot of personal stuff at home. I didn’t have a very good camp. This doesn’t hurt me at all. The only thing that really matters to me are my two beautiful girls at home. I’ve been doing this for 15 years. My time is done in the cage. I have to focus on what I have at home. I’m ready to lay them down, guys, I’m done. I love you all."
"This is what life is about," said DeCastro when taking the mic. "We’re here to fight, but we’re not animals. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, we’re fathers, we’re husbands, and we’re friends. Enjoy tonight, and let’s f@#$ s&*^ up!"
Undercard Results
The professional undercard was full of first rounds stoppages and submissions, as several up-and-coming CES MMA stars quickly disposed of their opponents.
Saheeb "The Juice" Jackson improved to 2-0, with an electrifying performance over late replacement Daniel Arriaga (0-4).
The Nigerian by way of Providence, RI, immediately attempted a kick to the head that Arriaga blocked, but the 26-year-old used his momentum to apply a rear naked choke that caused Arriaga to tap out just 9 seconds into the first round of the lightweight bout.
"Lord" Da’mani Burns made his pro debut one to remember with a quick stoppage of Antwion McCullough (0-1) in a featherweight contest.
The Providence native hip tossed McCullough 3-consecutive times to start the contest and wasted little time in pounding out his opponent at 1:01 of round one.
Danbury, CT’s Geoffrey Then (2-2) made a highly anticipated return to the cage after a 6-year absence, stopping John Medina in the very first stanza.
Then took Medina down mid-round, pounding the Pawtucket, RI native before going for a submission. Medina was able to maneuver himself out of Then’s grip, but then wilted under his follow-up ground and pound. After the quick finish, Then announced that he will return to the cage at the very same venue on August 2 for CES MMA 78.
Amateur Action
Springfield, MA’s Brian Torres (2-0) was too much for Jordyne Lopes Tavarez, pounding out a unanimous decision over the Fall River native in a middleweight match-up.
Nadir Safarov, of Hudson, MA, made his amateur debut a successful one, edging Chris Vega (0-1) by scores of 29-28 in a bantamweight contest. After losing the first two rounds, Vega tried his best to submit Safarov in the third, applying a rare naked choke. Unfortunately, the Holyoke, MA native was unable to get the right positioning to finish Safarov in time for the final bell.
Danbury, CT’s Ryan Silva (1-2) outfought New Britain’s Alex Graffagnino (1-2) over 3 rounds in a featherweight bout. Silva beat Graffagnino to the punch in rounds 1 and 2 before the New Britain native came alive in the final stanza, dropping Silva with a big left hand. It was too little, too late as the fight came to an end, giving Silva the unanimous decision win.
Isaiah Sanchez (2-1) defeated Justin Alvarez (1-1) by unanimous decision in a bantamweight contest. Sanchez couldn’t miss with the straight left hand throughout the bout, dropping Alvarez with a left after opening the bout with a head kick. Alvarez was able to turn things around briefly in round 2, stunning Sanchez with a right hand and getting a take down at the end of the stanza. Sanchez got a takedown in round 3 after Alvarez landed a series of leg kicks. The West Hartford, CT native went for the finish but ran out of time as the fight came to a halt.
Aaron Velasquez (2-1) defeated Michael Colon (1-2) via submission in round 1 of their welterweight matchup. The Waterbury, CT native walked through a left jab, right hand combination from Colon to get the takedown, then applied a rear naked choke to force Colon to submit at 2:19 of the round.
Brooklyn native Lynn Nicholas (1-1) defeated Oakville, CT’s Besjan Vako (0-1) via unanimous decision in a bantamweight bout. The fighters traded 2 takedowns each in round 1, with Nicholas winning the round by using his southpaw jab. The fighters switched to head kicks in round 2, with Nicholas getting the better of the exchange before scoring a takedown. The Brooklyn native scored another takedown moments into round 3. Vako got to his feet, only to be taken down again. The Oakville native was able to turn things around on the ground and attempted a choke, but the fight ended with Nicholas freeing himself and landing right hands to the head.
Grappling Results
Headley, MA’s Leon Davis defeated Cranston, RI’s Elvis Serrano via guillotine choke to win the inaugural CES Grappling Super Fight Championship. The match was contested at the 175lb limit.
Chris Samboy of Hartford, CT defeated UFC veteran John "Doomsday" Howard via decision. Dorchester, MA native Howard will next be in action at CES MMA 78 on August 2nd.
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