CES MMA 44 results: Matt Bessette keeps featherweight title after doctor's stoppage

Reynaldo Trujillo gave a valiant effort in what was his second fight in a two week stretch. But he didn’t have enough to overcome CES MMA featherweight champion Matt Bessette, succumbing to a doctor’s stoppage after the second round in Friday’s CES MMA 44 headliner.

Bessette (22-7) had to empty the tank in order to put Trujillo (21-19) into position for the fight to be stopped, but his striking game eventually inflicted enough punishment to force the doctor to wave off the action in the AXS TV-televised bout at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

Although Trujillo proved durable and had sporadic moments of success, Bessette stayed patient and waited for his openings to land hard shots. He did that over and over again through 10 minutes, opening multiple cuts around Trujillo’s eyes and potentially breaking his nose, as well.

When Trujillo returned to his corner after the second round, he appeared ready to fight. But the cageside physician apparently didn’t like the amount of damage to the face and made the decision to wave off the contest.

Bessette extended his winning streak to seven fights with the successful performance. The 32-year-old said he would like nothing more than to move on to the UFC next, but is aware that’s not his call to make.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Bessette said in his post-fight interview. “All that matters is what the people think. Everyone thinks I deserve my shot, but it’s just a matter of timing. Sean (Shelby), Dana (White), I hope you’re watching.”

Rebello scores late submission of Sears

Greg Rebello (22-7) had difficulty putting Kevin Ray Sears (4-3) away with strikes, so instead he went to a less-used part of his arsenal and forced an opponent to tap out with a third-round submission.

Rebello outworked his opponent with strikes on the feet in the opening round of the light heavyweight bout. Sears took every one of them, though, and extended the action into a second frame. It got worse for him from there. Rebello took the fight to the ground and spent the majority of the round battering his opponent in what likely was a 10-8 round.

He went back to the strategy that worked best for him in the final round, grounding Sears once again and delivering offense. He couldn’t inflict enough damage to finish the fight, and with less than 30 seconds remaining opted to lock on Sears’ neck with a guillotine choke. He got it in deep, and Sears tapped out with just 13 seconds remaining on the clock for only the second submission win of Rebello’s career.

Soriano’s brutal kicks forces Bohn to give in

It’s not often a fighter will give up to leg kicks before referee intervention, but that’s exactly how Sean Soriano (10-4) got the job done when he forced Jacob Bohn (5-4) to verbally submit from a series of strikes to the legs.

From the outset of the welterweight bout, it was evident Soriano had a considerable striking advantage. He put it to use, dropping Bohn with a knee to the head in the opening round. He delivered a consistent stream of leg kicks, and by the end of the first round Bohn was already limping and in trouble.

Soriano picked up where he left off in the second frame, fending off a number of sloppy takedown attempts from Bohn while continuing to hammer the legs. Eventually Bohn decided he’d had enough, signifying to the referee that he was done at the 3:21 mark of Round 2 before turning around and using the fence to keep standing.

CES MMA 44 results:

MAIN CARD (AXS TV)

• Matt Bessette def. Rey Trujillo via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
• Greg Rebello def. Kevin Ray Sears via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 4:47
• Sean Soriano def. Jacob Bohn via verbal submission (leg kicks) – Round 2, 3:21
• Emmanuel Walo def. Jon Manley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Mike Rodriguez def. Alex Hooben via TKO (punches, elbows) – Round 1, 4:46
• Carlos Candelario def. Timothy Wheeler via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:12
• Justin Sumter def. Brian Sparrow via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)

• Paul Sims def. Toby Oden via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Kerri Kenneson def. Jennifer Norris via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Reginaldo Felix def. Adam Quitt via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:15

And for more on CES MMA 44, check out the MMA Events section of the site.