By Travis Lizotte
Now that the world has turned its calendars to 2017 and many of us have set our minds on new goals and new resolutions let’s take some time to reflect on 2016 for a minute. 2016 was an amazing year for North East MMA and its pool of talent. Fighters like Bessette, Andrews, Boyington and Font had amazing years racking up wins on the sport’s biggest stages; but I one would be hard pressed to argue that anyone’s career took bigger steps in 2016 than that of Devin Powell. Powell added four fights to his resume in 2016 and each fight being bigger than the last by monumental proportions. In February Devin dispatched Bellator veteran Jeff Anderson by Decision at Combat Zone. In April Devin knocked out Jesse Erickson in the first round to become the New England Fights Lightweight Champion, after the belt was vacated by Bruce Boyington as he pursued a contract with World Series of Fighting. Then in June Devin became the next Lightweight Champion from NEF to get the call from World Series of Fighting when he took Tommy Marcellino to a hard fought split decision victory.
I visited Devin at his Academy (Nostos MMA in Somersworth, NH) following his fight with Marcellino, Devin had suffered some injuries in the fight and told me that he had to take a little time off and not go directly into another fight camp. It was days later when Devin was at a concert with his fiancée; Carol Linn, when his phone rang again. It was Matt Peterson from New England fights he was looking for a replacement to fight Jonathan Lemke in front of UFC President Dana White on Dana’s reality show; Looking for a Fight. In August, Devin did just that, he stepped into the cage again, battered and bruised but not beaten. Devin suffered a pretty gruesome broken nose around the two minute mark of the fight but it did not faze him. Devin used a combination to drop Lemke to the mat where he sunk in a Rear Naked Choke that ended Lemke’s night and inevitably earned Devin a Multi-Fight Contract with the World’s Biggest MMA Promotion the UFC.
Devin also earned another belt in 2016, in September at the Nostos MMA open house, Jay Mansfield from Port City BJJ in Portsmouth, NH, Devin’s long time BJJ instructor presented Devin with his Black Belt. Devin who is the owner and operator of Nostos MMA, can agree that his success in the cage has helped lead to the Academy’s success. The aforementioned Jay Mansfield, as well as Adam Rivera who has been in Devin’s corner since day one and Keegan Hornstra will be in Devin’s corner January 15th as he makes his hard earned and well deserved UFC debut against fellow new comer Drakkar Klose at UFC Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona. Devin’s original opponent Jordan Rinaldi was forced out of the fight with a rib injury. The eyes of the North East MMA world will be on Devin next Sunday as he looks to start his 2017 off with a bang and notch his first UFC win.
The following is an interview I did with Devin Powell at his Academy in Somersworth NH on December 13th a little over a month out from his UFC Debut, accompanied by a video of Devin’s Black belt Ceremony in September which I recorded.
Devin also earned another belt in 2016, in September at the Nostos MMA open house, Jay Mansfield from Port City BJJ in Portsmouth, NH, Devin’s long time BJJ instructor presented Devin with his Black Belt. Devin who is the owner and operator of Nostos MMA, can agree that his success in the cage has helped lead to the Academy’s success. The aforementioned Jay Mansfield, as well as Adam Rivera who has been in Devin’s corner since day one and Keegan Hornstra will be in Devin’s corner January 15th as he makes his hard earned and well deserved UFC debut against fellow new comer Drakkar Klose at UFC Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona. Devin’s original opponent Jordan Rinaldi was forced out of the fight with a rib injury. The eyes of the North East MMA world will be on Devin next Sunday as he looks to start his 2017 off with a bang and notch his first UFC win.
The following is an interview I did with Devin Powell at his Academy in Somersworth NH on December 13th a little over a month out from his UFC Debut, accompanied by a video of Devin’s Black belt Ceremony in September which I recorded.