Backup Plan: Paiva, Smith Now Set To Meet For Vacant World Title Tomorrow Night

The bantamweight world title bout set for the top of 2021 is about to go down quite a bit prior to anticipated.

With weight points forcing the cancellation of one of many two scheduled bantamweight title eliminators at CES MMA 62, contenders Dinis Paiva (13-8, 7 KOs) and Joshua Smith (9-6, 5 KOs) will as an alternative compete for the vacant world title tonight on the Caribe Royale Orlando dwell on UFC FIGHT PASS®.

Paiva and Smith have been initially presupposed to face one other in a three-round eliminator as half of tonight’s double major occasion with the 2 winners preventing each other later within the 12 months, however with the Andrew Whitney-Diego Silva eliminator scrapped at Thursday’s weigh-in, Paiva and Smith will now step to the plate in a five-round bout with the title on the road, a significant flip of occasions within the eleventh hour.

Tonight’s preliminary card begins at 7:30 pm ET with the primary card beginning at 8. To enroll in UFC FIGHT PASS, go to ufcfightpass.com, or obtain the UFC app.

For Paiva, the East Windfall, RI, native and 21-time CES MMA veteran, this shall be his second shot on the vacant CES MMA Bantamweight World Title. He misplaced to present UFC contender Andre Ewell for the then-vacant title at CES 50 in 2018. Smith, a Pensacola native and winner of three of his final 4 bouts, fights in a scheduled five-round bout for the primary time in his profession.

With the bantamweight title comes the potential for a quick observe to the UFC; all three of the promotion’s title-holders – Ewell, Andre Soukhamthath, and Tony Gravely – have gone on to compete for the UFC.

Listed beneath are weights for all individuals at CES 62. Six Florida fighters are scheduled to compete on the cardboard, which now options seven bouts.

DINIS PAIVA
East Windfall, RI
13-8, 7 KOs
136

JOSHUA SMITH
Pensacola, FL
9-6, 5 KOs
135

GARY BALLETTO III
Cranston, RI
5-2, 2 KOs
171

DAHLEN WILSON
Pensacola, FL
4-3, 2 KOs
169

HUGH MCKENNA
Lengthy Island, NY
3-4
180

ADRIANO CAPITULINO
Orlando, FL
7-4
179

JOE PENAFIL
Orlando, FL
5-2
135

DA’MON BLACKSHEAR
Fayetteville, NC
8-4, 1 KO
134

CARLOS ESPINOSA
Tampa, FL
5-4, 3 KOs
137

LEO CARVALHO
Coconut Creek, FL
3-4
134

YURI PANFEROV
New Haven, CT
Professional debut
204

GREGORY SMITH
Greenville, NC
0-1
202

ANTHONY DELORENZO
Belleville, NC
Professional debut
138

CHRISTIAN TYLER-FOSTER
Harmony, NC
Professional debut
140