CES MMA 33 results: Andre Soukhamthath wins title with incredible flying knee KO

Andre Soukhamthath

In what was billed as the biggest grudge match in company history, Andre Soukhamthath stopped Kody Nordby in highlight-reel fashion with a sensational fifth-round flying knee knockout to win the bantamweight championship in CES MMA 33’s headliner.

Soukhamthath (10-3) captured the 135-pound belt with the picture-perfect flying knee finish of Nordby (6-4) in the final round of a grueling championship fight. The bout closed out the AXS TV-televised main card at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

Despite plenty of pre-fight trash talk, Nordby showed a limited offensive repertoire. He frequently dove for takedowns with very minimal setup, and Soukhamthath scouted everything from a mile away. When that didn’t work, Nordby tried to attack the legs by diving for leg locks from a distance. Soukhamthath managed to shut those down, as well, and responded with strikes that opened a cut on Nordby’s face.

The champion rejected nearly every advance by Nordby, save for a fourth-round push that raised concern over whether Soukhamthath would allow the fight to slip away down the stretch. He showed that absolutely wasn’t going to happen, when in the final round he went for and scored the spectacular finish.

Soukhamthath timed a Nordby takedown attempt and just as the level-change occurred, “The Asian Sensation” elevated with the flying knee that landed square on the chin. Nordby was out cold on impact and the new champion was crowned at the 1:35 mark of the fifth frame.

O’Neil snaps skid at Olson’s expense

The co-main event played out as a battle of strategy and inches, and in the end, Chuck O'Neil (15-8) outpointed Dennis Olson (14-10) over the course of three rounds for a unanimous decision victory.

The middleweight clash wasn’t extremely eventful. However, O’Neil did what he needed to take two of three rounds and leave the cage with a victory. He wore Olson out with clinch work, strikes from top control and pressure that threw his opponent off his rhythm.

O’Neil almost let the victory slip away in the third round when Olson turned the tables and got top control of his own. He wasn’t able to create anything out of the advantage, though, and O’Neil got away from any potential danger and escape to the end of the round.

All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in O’Neil’s favor, allowing him to snap the first two-fight losing skid of his career and put his name in the win column for the first time in nearly 14 months.

Bessette taps short-notice foe with slick triangle

Matt Bessette (17-7) had little issue dispatching of short-notice replacement Taurean Bogguess (14-11). He picked up a slick first-round submission victory with the help of a triangle choke.

Bogguess accepted the 150-pound catchweight bout on just three days’ notice but had next to nothing to offer. The action spilled to the ground in the opening seconds of the contest with Bogguess taking top position. Bessette stayed patient, though, and began to work toward a submission. Before long he wrapped his legs around Bogguess’ neck and after a few adjustments forced the tap at the 2:41 mark of the opening frame.

With the victory Bessette improved to 4-1 in his past five fights. He’s earned all of those wins by stoppage. Bogguess, meanwhile, has dropped four of his past six bouts.

Complete CES MMA 33 results included:

MAIN CARD

• Andre Soukhamthath def. Kody Nordby via knockout (flying knee) – Round, 5, 1:35
• Chuck O’Neil def. Dennis Olson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Matt Bessette def. Taurean Bogguess via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:41
• Juliano Coutinho def. Chaz Morgan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Greg Rebello def. Keith Bell via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:58
• Nate Andrews def. Julian Lane via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:58

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Joe Pingitore def. Taylor Trahan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:55
• Gary Balletto Jr. def. Cruz Johnson via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 2:37
• Matt Tullos def. Shah Bachok def. submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:46
• Noel Arcibal def. Shane Decristoforo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

For more on CES MMA 33, check out the MMA Events section of the site.