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By Ray Hamill — Local MMA legend Cass Bell announce this weekend that he will be making his much-anticipated return later this spring.

The 37-year-old will head the card at the upcoming Rumble at the River fight night at Bear River Casino and Resort on May 3, and he says he plans on making one more big run before he walks away from competing in the sport.

This will be his first fight since Nov. 2023.

“I wanted to get back into it,” said Bell, who also coaches the Arcata High wrestling team. “The high school season is done and I wanted to get motivated again. This will get me back on track.”

The fight will also be a big boost for the Rumble at the River events, which have steadily grown in popularity since they were brought back in late 2023, and Bell has been one of the most popular local fighters since making his pro debut at a Bellator event in May of 2018.

“They asked me if I wanted to fight, and I thought, you know what, it would be good to step back in,” he said. 

The May fight will be the first of his comeback and Bell wants to take it as far as he can while he’s still young enough to fight.

“After this fight, I plan on going big,” said Bell, who is nicknamed the Mean Green Fighting Machine. “I want to go for one more big run and give it everything I’ve got. I’m 37 and my clock is ticking.”

Another reason for signing up for the Bear River event is the opportunity to fight with some of his Institute of Combat teammates, who will also be on the card.

“I want to fight with any guys, with my team,” Bell said. “And let my friends and family watch me locally.”

Bell has fought just twice in Humboldt since turning pro, once at the Blue Lake Casino Hotel and once at The Heights Casino in Trinidad.

He is 8-3 as a pro and all of his other nine fights have been with the now defunct Bellator.

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Bell’s teammates Anthony Martinez and Joey Herron will each also fight at the Bear River event on May 3.

Martinez, who is 2-2, was on the most recent Rumble at the River card and won his fight there, while Herron will be making his fight debut.

“I’m super excited about it,” Bell added. “It’s been a little over a year since I’ve been in the ring, so I’m super excited to make my debut at Bear River and go from there.”

Over the past three years, Bell has also been making a name for himself as one of the best high school wrestling coaches in the area and he recently wrapped up the season, leading the Arcata High girls team to a league championship and the boys to a second-place finish.

Sickness and injuries took their toll on the boys roster in particular, but it was a successful season nonetheless.

“The girls took first in back-to-back years and the boys placed second again,” he said. “I’m proud of all of the kids for stepping up, but I was disappointed with the sickness we had.

“I know if we had all of our guys healthy we would have been No. 1 (in league).

“Next year should be good. We’ll have a lot of returning kids.”

Next winter, he will also have the opportunity to coach both of his kids on the Arcata High team.

His son Kaidan will be a junior and his daughter Taylor will be a freshman.

Tickets for May’s fight night are currently available through the Bear River website and they can also be bought directly from Bell in the near future.