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December 9, 2013

NEF FIGHTER MATT DESROCHES ANNOUNCED AS CAST MEMBER OF THE UFC’S “THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER”

[NEF Press Release]

Rumford, Maine (December 7, 2013) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) is proud to announce that former NEF fighter Matt DesRoches (4-0) was recently announced as a cast member of The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) famed “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series “TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia.” UFC officials announced DesRoches as a member of the cast last Thursday.

“TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia” is the newest iteration of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Eight middleweights and eight welterweights will be divided into two teams based on their nationalities. Filmed just north of Montreal, the 12-episode season will air on Wednesdays on Fox Sports 1 starting January 15th and will culminate with a three-hour live finale next year. It was announced that DesRoches will compete as a welterweight on the show.

Matt DesRoches’ last fight came when he made his NEF MMA debut last summer at NEF’s “Nations Collide: Canadian Invasion” event. DesRoches submitted Team Irish’s Jon Lemke (3-1) via armbar at 1:47 of the first round and handed Lemke the lone loss of his amateur and professional careers.


“Great shows like New England Fights are vital to athletes’ development,” stated Rob Veevers, DesRoches’ manager and the owner of Banzuke Athlete Management. “NEF runs a very professional organization and treats the fighters exceptionally well. We are very proud to have worked with NEF MMA for Matt’s last fight and I strongly believe that opportunity helped propel Matt towards his spot on Team Canada on the UFC's ‘TUF Nations: Canada vs Australia.’”

“We are delighted to see another NEF veteran snatched up by the big show,” stated NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “We pledged to fans that we would bring in the best talent to compete in NEF and DesRoches being signed to compete on the next season of TUF is just further proof of that commitment.”

“It was obvious from his performance against Lemke that he was destined for big things,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “We were excited for Des Green when he signed with Bellator and we share that same enthusiasm for Matt with the news of his move to TUF. I’m confident that he will perform on the show and show the skill and aptitude worthy of securing a UFC contract.”

Fans can follow Matt DesRoches on twitter @matthangon and "like" his Facebook Fan Page "Matt DesRoches MMA Fighter.” Fans can also follow Banzuke Athlete Management @banzukeathletic and find “Banzuke Athlete Management” on Facebook. “TUF Nations: Canada vs Australia” airs January 15th on Fox Sports 1 at 10pm EST.

NEF MMA's next event, “NEF XII,” is scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with a bell time of 7:00 pm.  Maine State MMA Middleweight Champion Jesse Peterson (7-4) will return to action for the first time in nearly a year.  Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF MMA videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”