New England Fight's Matt Peterson(matchmaker) and Nick DiSalvo(promoter) has been working diligintly behind the scenes on making one of the biggest cards anyone has ever seen in the Maine area. This fight has some big name fighters on it and lots of spectacular up and coming amateurs from thoughout the region. Right now they have 28 fights total with 8 of them being professional. Did I mention that two of the pro fights are title fights? Yep, that means a 5 rounders. Where will this be taking place?? Fight Night IV will be taking place on September 8th 2012 and they will be returning to Lewiston Maine to the Colisee. They are selling tickets like hotcakes and they are still available by visting the Colisee's webpage. It is a long trip from Massachusetts and especially long from Western Mass but I gotta say it is all worth it. The atmosphere up in Maine is something you all just have to see. The 3000+ crowd roars and stays for the entire card, start to finish. I would imagine many of the fans will have trouble speaking the next day due to lack of voice after this show. Maybe this is the reason why AXS(formerly HDNet) is filming it again for Inside MMA. Ok let me break down the card for you.
Mike Blair vs Matt Mahon
Mike Blair is set to face Matt Mahon in a heavyweight showdown. Mike trains with Power MMA and comes into this fight with a 2-0 record. If my research is correct Mike trains in Arizona and is coming to Maine to fight! His two wins were ref stoppages to strikes, one in the first round and the second win in the second round. If he follows this trend, he will have a ref stoppage in the 3rd round?? Not if his opponent Matt has anything to say about it. Matt trains with Bombsquad and has a record of 1-0. He is no stranger to fighting first on the card. Last Fight Night he got the first round stoppage victory to strikes against Charlie Hodge and luckily the fight was in the opposite of the cage of me or else I would haven't gotten some blood on my poor Dell laptop! I expect this fight to be no different and to get the adrenaline flowing throughout the entire Colisee and could very well see a knockout right off the bat.
Chaz Guthrie vs Jonathan Deupree
Chaz Guthrie will be facing Johnathan Deupree at a catchweight of 195lbs. Chaz is from Kut Combat which is a school in Maine. His fight he suffered a loss to Brent Dillingham where he lost in the first round due to a guillotine. His opponent, Johnathan is from Choi's MMA school and will be making his amateur debut.
Crowsneck Boutin vs Steve Kimball
Crowsneck Boutin is set to fight Steve Kimball at 185lbs. Crowneck is an independent fighter with a record of 0-1. His only fight was a loss to Brent Dillingham where he lost via ref stoppage to punches in Round 2. His opponent, Steve trains out of the Shop MMA which is in NH and comes into this fight with an 0-1 record. His last and only fight was in 2008 where he lost to Bob Bradshaw via ref stoppage in round 3. This took place in Lousiana so I am not sure if MixedMartialArts.com has the names mixed up or not. Crowsneck always brings intensity to the fights and to the weigh ins! This will be a great battle.
Kent Smallwood vs Robert Cameron
In the 185lb division Kent Smallwood will be fighting Robert Cameron. Kent comes out Team Irish which is located in Maine and will be making his amateur debut. He is one of the 8 fighters from Team Irish on this card! Yes, you read that right 8. Robert, his opponent trains out of Condemned Combat which I don't know much about their school but they have kick ass name! His only fight was a victory to Brandon Rolls where he won with a rear naked choke in round 1. This is a really close fight due to Robert's one fight experience and Kent coming from a big school of Team Irish. I expect this to be a good ground battle.
Buck Pineau vs Allan Josselyn
At 185lbs Buck Pineau will be fighting Allan Josselyn. Buck trains out of Choi's MMA and has a very nice record of 4-1. Buck "Knuckles" has two wins via submission and two wins via his Knuckles! His two specialties are his fists and rear naked choke. His only loss came at the first NEF where he lost in the first round to Dan Burke from an arm triangle. Allan trains out of Team Kaze and has a record of 2-1. His first fight he lost due to punches in Rd 3 at a previous Combat Zone. He then followed it up with two big wins after that. I saw firsthand his last two fights and he is very well rounded. He won his first ammy victory via punches and his second victory he won at a nice bloody battle against Doug Stone at Cage Titans in Dover NH. This fight is both of their toughest fights to date and definitely will get them deeper in the rankings on NortheastMMA.net. I really can't predict where this fight will go because both fighters are very well rounded. We will all just have to wait and see!
Greg Morse vs Achelas Ankers
At 170lbs Greg Morse will be facing off against Achelas Ankers. Greg comes into this fight with a 1-1 record and trains with Team Irish, Marcus Davis's team. I wasn't able to find any information on his victory but I did find that he lost at a previous CFX to Jeff Hsu via rear naked choke in round 1. His opponent Achelas trains out of Moontide MMA and will be making his amateur debut.
Andrew Hughes vs Tim Tucker
In the 170lb division, Andrew Hughes is set to face Tim Tucker. Andrew trains out of Team Irish and has a very nice record of 3-1. He has two submission wins from what I could find out and his only loss came to Mike Drohan at a CFX where he lost a decision. Tim Tucker, his opponent is an independent fighter and is hungry for his first amateur win with a record of 0-1. His only loss came to Buck Pineau at the last NEF where he lost via rear naked choke. My prediction is that Tim will want to keep this fight standing as long as he can and Andrew will want to take it to the ground and work a submission victory.
Dustin Theriault vs Tollison Lewis
At a catchweight of 165lbs Dustin Theriault will be facing off against Tollison Lewis. Dustin trains out of Oxford Hill's MMA and has a record of 0-1. His only fight he lost to Ahsan Abdullah in the first round to Rear Naked Choke. Tollison trains out of Wai Nei MMA and has a record of 0-2. He lost his first fight via submission to Andrew Tripp and his second fight he lost to Jesse Erickson from ref stoppage to strikes in Round 1. Both fighters are hungry for their first amateur win and will no doubt be ready for it! I can't predict the advantages on this fight for both fighters but I think I speak for lots of Maine fans where I would like to see them stand and bang!
Kris Kramer vs Ken Foster
At 145lbs Kris Kramer will be fighting Ken Foster. Kris trains out of Team Irish and has a perfect record of 1-0. His victory came at a CFX where he won via triangle choke in Round 1 over Tony Collins. His opponent, Ken is an independent fighter and will be making his amateur debut. I would think Ken would want to keep this fight standing as long as he can but we will all find out this Saturday.
Jesse Erickson vs RJ Letendre
At a catchweight of 160lbs Jesse Erickson will be facing off against RJ Letendre. Jesse trains with Central Maine BJJ and has a record of 2-1. His only loss came to Shane Manley where he lost a unanimous decision. His two wins came at NEF where one via armbar and one from ref stoppages to strikes. If you were paying attention you would have already known one of his wins from up above! (wink) His opponent RJ trains out of The Shop and has a record of 3-1. He is very well rounded and has a victory via decision, ref stoppage to punches and submission victory. His last fight he had a big win over Will Chan where he via ref stoppage at the end of round 1 because he rocked Will Chan right at the bell and Will couldn't continue. That is no easy feat because Will Chan is a tough kid whom many at the media table thought was going to win. This is yet another well matched up fight and in my opinion is each fighter's toughest fight yet. This could defnitely be fight of the night and I expect this fight to be a stand and bang fight which is just the way CityBoy and Warchild like it!!
Will McCall vs Erik Tainter
At 155lbs Will Mcall will face off against Erik Tainter. Will trains out of Team Irish and will be making his amateur debut. Erik trains out of Kut Kombat and will also be making his amateur debut. Not much insight into this fight due to both making their amateur debut but I am anxious to witness firsthand what each fighter is made out of this Saturday!
John Parker vs Caleb Hall
John Parker will be fighting Caleb Hall at 145lbs. John Parker trains with Team Nitemare and he will be making his amateur debut. His opponent Caleb will also be making his amateur debut and he trains out of MV Wrestling Club. If I found the right one I believe this stands for Mohawk Valley Wrestling Club and it is located in New York. Again, both fights will be making their amateur debut and should be a great fight.
John Raio vs Damon Owens
The Postman John Raio is set to fight Damon Owens at 145lbs. John comes into this fight with an undefeated record of 3-0 and trains out of MMA Athletix. John has two decision victories and one submission victory. The first fight I saw of him I questioned his cardio but The Postman proved me wrong in his fight against Derek Shorey and didn't look tired one bit and got the submission victory. He will most likely be the crowd favorite because from what I hear, he sells tickets by the busload! His opponent Damon Owens trains out of Young's MMA and has a record of 1-3. Of course I can't find any info on his win, get Sherdog and MixedMartialsArts.com up to date fighters! Out of his three losses two were via submission and one was tko to punches. I expect this fight to be another stand and bang fight and the crowd, including me is going to be in for a real treat.
Ray Wood vs Jason Libby
At 155lbs Ray Wood will be fighting Jason Libby. Ray was set to fight Soap Am and was going to be a 145lb top contender showdown but unfortunately Soap got hurt and Jason Libby stepped up. Ray comes into this fight 4-1 from Young's MMA. He is very well rounded and has two ref stoppages to strikes, one sub and one decsion victory in his career. His only loss came to Shane Manley where he was just outwrestled. Ray is always getting his opponent switched up and he is always ready for a battle. His opponent Jason comes into this fight with a 3-2 record and trains out of The Shop. He has two decision victories and one ref stoppage to strikes victory in his career. His two losses came via submission and his last fight was for a title fight for Cage Titans where he lost to Vovka Clay. He now faces himself in another tough fight against Ray Wood and as a fan I am loving it! Jason and Ray both have fast hands and I think this is going to be a great standup battle.
Elias Leland vs Tommy Balzano
In the 135lb division Elias Leland will be facing off against Tommy Balzano. Elias trains with The Academy and has a record of 1-1. He has a loss via armbar to Ray Wood and a victory over Nicholas Spencer via rear naked choke. His opponent Tommy trans with Team Irish and has a 3-1 record. I couldn't find all the info on him but I can tell you he has two unanimous decision victories. His only loss came via rear naked choke to Tony Ellison at a previous CFX. This is another well matched fight by Matt Peterson and very hard to predict the outcome and gameplan on this one! Guess we will have to wait and see.
Nicholas Spencer vs Cody Sargent
In the 135lb division Nicholas Spencer is ready to face off against Cody Sargent. Nick trains with Choi's Institute and has a record of 1-1. His only win came against Matthew Almy where he won with an armbar in Round 1. His only loss came to Elias Leland where he lost to rear naked choke in round 2. His opponent Cody is an independent fighter and will be making his amateur debut. Cody will have his work cut out for him and will have to make up for Nick's two fight experience but I am sure he will be ready.
Eric Austin vs Noah Hall
Matt Marshall vs Steve Sobel
Matt Marshall is ready to fight Steve Sobel at 135lbs. Matt trains with The Shop MMA and has a record of 2-4. He has a unanimous decision and a submission victory in his career. He has two submission losses and two ref stoppages to strikes. His opponent Steve is an independent fighter and will be making his amateur debut. Will Matt's experience in the cage help power him to his third win or will Steve Sobel get the victory?? We will find out on September 8th.
Maria Rios vs Fernanda Araujo
At a catchweight of 130lbs Maria Rios will face off against Fernanda Araujo in the sole women's bout. Maria has a perfect record of 2-0 and trains out of the Academy. She is very well rounded and has a ref stoppage to strikes victory over Heather Lambert and also a very quick submission victory over Kylie Zehr at the last NEF show. Her opponent Fernanda was supposed to fight against Peggy Morgan at a Cage Titans event but had trouble getting her license through the commission and instead the fight was transferred to New Hampshire. She ended up losing via armbar in Round 2. She trains with Defensive Edge MMA. This, again I know I am repeating myself is a great matchup indeed. Maria Rios is the real deal and I give her the slight edge with the extra fight experience but then again this is mixed martial arts and anything can happen!
Cecil Haney vs Matt Almy
At 125lbs Cecil Haney is fighting Matt Almy. Cecil trains with The Academy and has a record of 2-3. He started his career with a decision and a split decision win. He then unfortunately suffered three losses in a row but two of them were to decisions. He is looking to break that nasty streak! His opponent Matt trains with Bombsquad in New York and has a record of 4-5. Out of his 5 losses, three of them were to decisions and the other two were from submission. He has two decision victories and one submission victory as well. This is going to be a great fight and if my crystal ball is accurate, I think it is going to go to a decision!!
Now onto the pro fights...Yes that means elbows and knees to the head! *Drools*
Pedro Gonzalez vs Paul Gorman
In a big fight that everyone has been waiting to see, Pedro Gonzalez will fight Paul Gorman at 135lbs. This will be a rematch fight where Pedro won the unanimous decision the first time around. Pedro has a great record of 8-5 and I was not able to find one of the wins but he has 6 subs and 1 dec victory. He trains out of team Sityodtong. For his losses he has three sub losses and two decision losses. His opponent Paul Gorman, has a record of 9-9 and trains out of The Academy. Again I couldn't find all his info but I can tell you Paul has 5 sub and 3 dec victories in his career. For his losses, he lost 1 by ko, 3 sub and 4 decision victories. As you can see on paper these guys are very well rounded and very even. I feel this is going to go to a decision again and is going to be a great ground battle. Who will be the victor though?? That is going to come down to who sticks to their gameplan and wants it the most.
Jon Lemke vs Nate Oses
Jon Lemke is set to fight Nate Oses at 155lbs. Jon trains with Team Irish and will be making his pro debut. It is hard to figure out his amateur record but from what I gather he was 4-0 and fought some tough guys. He will be ready. Nate trains with Wai Kru and is also making his pro debut. From what I gather, Nate was 3-2 amateur and again fought tough guys. On paper they are very close and I can also see this fight going to a decision as many of their fights went to a decision. I can tell you Nate can stand and bang and it should be a great fight.
Jamie Harrison vs Josh Parker
At 155lbs Jaime Harrison will be fighting Josh Parker for a shot at the belt at a future show. Jaime trains with First Coast Full Contact and has a record of 3-1. He has two ko finishes and 1 submission finish. His last fight got alot of publicity when he finished it with simultaneous punching which Bas Rutten dubbed the lobster claw on Inside MMA. His only loss came from punches back in 2010. His opponent Josh trains with Littlefield's mma and has a record of 3-4. We all remember him from his last stand and bang fight with Chris Ramos from the last show. He is very well rounded with one decision, one ko and one submission victory. Out of his four losses two were from sub and two were from decision. This fight is again very well matched, I don't see this fight going to a decision and I am predicting another stand and bang fight and someone could very well get knocked out!!
Bruce Boyington vs Desmond Green
In the second part of the battle for the title shot Bruce 'KO' Boyington will be fighting Dez Green at 155lbs. Bruce was originally supposed to fight Keenan Raymond but he had to drop out and Dez Green stepped in. For me, I see this is a much better matchup for the fans! Bruce trains with Young's MMA and has a record of 3-2. He pretty much left everyone with their jaw dropped in the audience with the phenomenal roundhouse kick knockout against Keegan Hornstra. He has another knockout victory over Andrew Robertson and another ref stoppage to punches. Out of his two losses, he lost twice in 2009, one by sub and one by ref stoppage to punches. Don't let that fool you, he is much improved and definitely has very good on his feet. Dez Green trains out of Team Bombsquad in New York and has an undefeated record of 3-0. Desmond is an outstanding wrestler and although his style of fighting might not be the most exciting, it wins fights. I saw firsthand his fight against Rob Font and he kept taking Rob down and frustrating Rob who couldn't submit him or get anything to jive from the bottom. I have only seen one of Bruce's fights before so I am not sure of Bruce's ground skills but if Bruce can keep this fight standing, I see him having the advantage. If Dez can get his takedowns then it might be a long night for Bruce. We will see how this unfolds this Saturday.
Josh Bellows vs Darrius Heyliger
Josh Bellows is set to fight Darrius Heyliger at 170lbs. Josh trains out of Littlefield's MMa and has a record of 1-0. Josh won at NEF III over Ryan Cowette with a big knockout due to punches and elbows in just 46 seconds in Rd 1. His opponent Darrius trains with Team Bombsquad and has a record of 2-1-1. Darrius is a great wrestler and has one win from submission to strikes and the other from a ref stoppage due to a cut. His only loss came via a submission late in round 3. On paper I see this fight as a striker versus wrestler but Darrius has the hands too. This one is just too close for me to call!
Matt Andrikut vs Artie Mullen
In the heavyweight showdown of the night we have Matt Andrukut against Artie Mullen. Matt Andrikut will be making his professional debut and is from Kut Kombat. I believe he was at least 3-0 amateur from what I saw and they were all stoppage in the first round. In fact one of them was a submission which you don't see many heavyweights that can submit unless they choke em out with a kimura(kidding). His opponent Artie trains with MMA of Southern Maine and has a record of 1-9. Pretty much all of Artie's losses were first round stoppages to punches and a few were submission losses. Artie is going to have to catch Matt early with a great punch or wrestle him to the ground and control if he wants this victory which I know he does! Matt just needs to come fast with a flurry of punches and show everyone why they call him The Beast!
Ryan Sanders vs Gil de Freitas
For the welterweight title(170lbs) Ryan Sanders will be fighting Gil de Freitas. Ryan was supposed to fight Ricardo Funch but unfortunately he was hurt and had to drop out. Heal up fast Ricardo! Gil was supposed to fight at the CES show a few weeks back which was cancelled last minute and he is all ready to battle so he stepped in. Ryan trains with Young's MMA and has a record of 4-1. In all four of his submission victories three of them were by the guillotine, the other one armbar. He has the slickest guillotine I have ever seen and because of that he surprises many of his opponents. It reminds me of the Cody McKenzie guillotine. His one loss came to Mike Winters where he was outwrestled the entire time and just wasn't able to finish with a submission, although I still swear I saw a tap! Gil is from Team Link and has a record of 12-5. He has trained alot in Brazil and I believe most of his fights were in Brazil if not all of them. He has 4 KO, 2 sub and 7 decision victories. For his losses he has lost 4 decisions and one to submission. Gil to win just needs to get his takedowns and control the fight and stay clear of the guillotine. Ryan to win needs to be patient and wait for his opportunity to get in his submission but it won't be easy. Keep in mind folks, this is a 5 rounder and anything can happen. I see this fight going to at least the fourth round.
Jesse Peterson vs Cody Lightfoot
For the second title fight of the evening at 185lbs Jesse Peterson will be fighting Cody Lightfoot. Jesse has a 6-2 record and crosstrains with CMBJJ and SSSF. Jesse is as well rounded as they come, he has 2 ko, 2 sub and 2 decision victories. His two losses came a while back from ref stoppages to punches. His last fight he fought Jason Ward for Reality Fighting where he lost but that was later changed to a No Contest. His opponent Cody Lightfoot has a record of 6-3 and trains out of The Shop. Cody has fought all over the weight scales and has finally decided to fight at 185lbs which is his original high school weight. Both Jesse, and Cody were both big into wrestling and are both happy to fight in their hometown Maine! Cody has four tko/ko victories, 1 sub and 1 decision victories. Out of his 3 losses, 1 was ko, sub and decision. As you can see both fighters are very well rounded and I see this fight coming down to who can get their opening and control the fight. Again this is a title fight and could potentially go 5 rounds which could make a difference. In case you haven't seen the pictures of Cody that we took at a previous CES he likes to bleed so front row and cage side people, make sure to bring towels!! You better not get any blood on my Dell laptop Cody!! This is an awesome fight and both fighters are WICKED friendly and nice and I am ecstatic for this fight.
Well I hope you all enjoyed this edition of our Teaser. If you read through all of it then I thank you for taking the time. I am sure most people just read about a few particular fights but at WesternMassMMA.com we support all the fighters and they all deserve the recognition. Tickets are still available here so get them before they sell out. I plan on having a Shipyard beer there, what kind do you all recommend?? I am hearing great thinks about the Pumpkinhead Ale but I can't try too many or no one will be able to understand my live play by play! Last but not least, thanks to NEF team for keeping us in the loop so we can do this awesome teaser. Please share this all over Facebook by clicking the share button below and spread the word. Without your word of mouth advertising, we wouldn't be growing and for that, we thank you!
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