Pat “The Gorilla Ninja” Casey: “This is a fight you don’t want to miss!”

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Pat “The Gorilla Ninja” Casey (10-8) fights for his first world title on Friday, February 23, when he clashes with Gary “Batman” Balletto Jr. (8-3) at Foxwoods Resort Casino for the vacant CES MMA World Welterweight championship at CES MMA 76.

The main event tops a 7-fight bill that also features UFC veterans Yorgan DeCastro and Yuri Panferov in separate bouts.  The event will be streamed live on Triller beginning at 8pm for the free prelims, with the main card on pay-per-view at 9pm.  

Limited tickets are on sale now at CESfights.com, ticketmaster, or the Foxwoods Box Office.  Act now as this event is virtually sold out!     

Fighting for an MMA world championship is not something that Pat Casey envisioned growing up in his native Springfield, MA.  An athlete his entire life, the affable 33-year-old signed up to play football at American International College after graduating high school. 

“I was a football player my whole life,” explains Casey just a few days from his title fight.  “My daughter was born just as I started playing at AIC, and that led me to start working.” 

Casey took a job as a paraprofessional with autistic children at Springfield Central High School, but the desire to compete was something he couldn’t shake. 

“I still wanted to do something athletically, but my schedule wasn’t as flexible,” elaborates Casey. “One of my football coaches taught wrestling at an MMA school, and he invited me to come and workout.  At first, I would mess around here and there.  In my mind, I was still going to play football. My coach saw me train and told me that I could be good if I dedicated myself to it.  That’s when I decided that I wasn’t going to play football anymore and I started focusing on MMA.”

Naturally strong and explosive, Casey quickly took to wrestling and felt comfortable striking. The biggest challenge he faced early on was becoming proficient in all of the other disciplines that a fighter needs to develop as an overall mixed martial artist.

“Jiu Jitsu was the most difficult style to learn,” recalls Casey of his early days in the gym.  “There are so many intricate details and technical aspects to Jiu Jitsu.  I’ve been doing this for years, and you never stop learning.  There’s always new techniques.  With Jiu Jitsu, you have to slow things down sometimes to get better, and when you’re someone like me, who is used to going fast and being explosive, it took me a while to get into the mode of slowing things down to see things better and not rush through things.”

Casey was 25 when he made the fateful decision to pursue a career in MMA.  Some believe that doors open up almost magically once you find your calling, and this can certainly be said for the Springfield native.  “The Gorilla Ninja” quickly made a name for himself regionally, amassing an amateur record of 7-2, winning numerous titles and building a loyal fanbase that attracted the attention of Bellator MMA.

Casey debuted with Bellator and then competed for CES MMA, Premier FC and Caged Titans.  As a result, Casey was able to fight across the country while developing his skills in various venues, culminating in a title shot this Friday night at Foxwoods.

“Nothing beats fighting in a casino,” admits Casey, who is fighting at Foxwoods for the first time in his career.  “The vibe in a casino is different.  Casinos and fighting go hand in hand.  People who come to support can see the fight, get something to eat, make a whole night or weekend of it.  It feels bigger.”

Across the cage from ‘The Gorilla Ninja’ will be Gary Balletto Jr., a fellow fan favorite who is coming off the biggest win of his career, a second-round submission of James “The Loose” Cannon for the vacant CES MMA Middleweight title. 

“I’ve seen Gary fight a lot,” acknowledges Casey.  “We’ve been on the same card a few times.  We were supposed to fight before, but he had to pull out with injuries.  I’m well aware of him.  We’re both well rounded fighters who have been around a while.”

While Casey respects Balletto Jr’s skillset, he believes that the key difference between them will be his superior athleticism.

“I have some advantages in the athleticism department,” explains Casey.  “I’m faster, stronger, more explosive.  Skill wise, we’re at a similar level but I think there’s definitely a difference in physicality.”

When speaking with Casey, one gets the sense that this is the fight where he intends to put it all together for the biggest win of his career, and he hopes to celebrate a title winning victory with all of the fans who have supported him from day one.

“I fought for regional titles, but this is my first world title fight,” explains Casey. “I’ve had my eyes on fighting for this title for about a year and a half.  I was working my way towards it.  It’s something I wanted for a while, I’m happy it came, and I’m ready to capitalize on the opportunity.  If you’ve been following me all these years, this is a huge one.  This is one you don’t want to miss.  It’s a huge milestone and I would love to be able to enjoy it with as many people as have been there for me since the beginning.  Whether you’re going to come out to support or stream it, it’s the culmination of a lot of time put in.  I hope everyone shows up and feels like they’re a little part of it.”

On Friday at a sold-out Foxwoods Resort Casino, we’re all in for a treat.