Andre Soukhamthath, Kody Nordby to Collide for Title at CES 33

CES MMA, New England’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, announced Wednesday afternoon that bantamweight rivals Andre Soukhamthath and Kody Nordby will square off for the organization’s title.

The duel will headline CES 33, which goes down March 11 at Twin River Casino, in Lincoln, R.I., with AXS TV televising the action live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The two fighters attended Woonsocket High School in Rhode Island and both turned pro in the sport at the same time.

Soukhamthath, who trains with the Blackzilians in Florida, is coming off a second-round TKO of Carlos Galindo at CES MMA 31 back in October. The win came via elbows and it secured his spot for the CES bantamweight strap. He had lost two of three before meeting Galindo after winning seven straight, all within the CES cage.

“I will put him in his place when the cage door locks,” said Soukhamthath in a statement. “He just talks so much s--t. He’s been talking s--t about me since he turned pro. He’s talented, but he just talks way too much. I won’t say too much to feed into it. Kody isn’t on my level at all. He won’t be able to do the things that he’s done to his other opponents. I’m going to get this win, and there’s nothing he can do about it.”

Nordby, meanwhile, had lost three in a row between 2013 and 2014, but the Rhode Island fighter has since turned his luck around. “The Rookie” has won three consecutive battles, all via first-round rear-naked choke finishes.

“It’s definitely been a long time coming,” Nordby said. “I thought it would be a good fight back then. He will soon find out that I have only gotten better and more dangerous with every outing. He has a big name, and I’m excited to put it on my resume. This is the biggest fight of my career. I’m not letting anyone dictate what’s going to happen except me. This fight will end with the title belt around my waist.”