New England Fights returns this Saturday to Club Aura in Portland Maine. The show will be taking place on April 14th, this Saturday with the doors opening at 6pm with the grappling match starting at 6:50pm. Then at 7pm will be the start of the mma portion. There are a total of 12 matches with 11 fights being mma and 1 fight being grappling. Out of the 12 matches 3 of them are professional bouts. This will be the second time that NEF is going to Club Aura and it is a smaller venue so make sure you don't wait until the last minute to get tickets as it could sell out. Tickets will be available at the door. Please follow along as I break down the fight card for you all. This will be the exact fight order of the night.
GRAPPLING Carol Linn Powell (Nostos) vs. Chelsea Elizabeth (First Class)
The first match of the night will be a grappling battle between Carol Linn Powell and Chelsea Elizabeth. Powell was supposed to fight mma but her opponent dropped out so thankfully NEF has set up a grappling match.
165 AM Curtis Ouellette (CMBJJ) 0-0 vs. Liam Fagan (Recon Fitness) 0-0
In the first mma fight of the night Curtis Ouellette will be taking on Liam Fagan at 165 lbs. Curtis trains with CMBJJ and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Liam Fagan and he trains with Recon Fitness. Fagan will also be making his amateur debut. A double amateur debut is an excellent way to kick off the night.
135 AM Zac Richards (Nostos) 0-0 vs. Gabriel Diaz (F2 Arena) 0-0
Then at 135 lbs Zac Richards will face off against Gabriel Diaz. Zac trains with Nostos and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Gabriel Diaz and he trains with F2 Arena. He will also be making his amateur debut. Two new fighters looking to show the crowd what they got.
165 AM Taylor Bartlett (CMBJJ) 0-0 vs. Duncan Smith (Evolution Athletix) 1-2
Next up is Taylor Bartlett taking on Duncan Smith at 165 lbs. Bartlett trains with CMBJJ and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Duncan Smith and he trains with Evolution Athletix. He comes into this fight with a 1-2 record with his sole win by decision. For his losses, he lost both of them by way of submission. In this one Taylor will have his work cut out for him as Duncan has the experience.
185 AM Mark Gardner (Academy) 1-0 vs. Brandon Schwinck (Independent) 0-0
Then at 185 lbs Mark Gardner will be squaring off against Brandon Schwinck. Gardner trains out of the Academy and comes into this fight with a 1-0 record. He won his first fight by ko/tko against Carlton Charles. His opponent is Brandon Schwink and he is an independent fighter. He will be making his amateur debut this Saturday. Gardner has the knockout power and I see him using his speed and power to try to bring home the victory.
140 AM David Thompson (Shatterproof) 1-2 vs. Kam Arnold (CMBJJ) 2-0
At 140 lbs David Thompson will be taking on Kam Arnold. Thompson trains with Shatterproof and comes into this fight with a 1-2 record. He won his sole win by ko/tko against Richard Weigman at NEF 20. For his losses, he lost 1 by ko/tko and 1 by submission. He will be looking to improve to 2-2 with a win this Saturday. His opponent is Kam Arnold and he trains with CMBJJ. He comes into this record with a record of 2-0 with both wins by ko/tko with both of them finishes in the first round. This is going to be a stand up war and the fans are going to be going nuts to this one!
225 AM James Lewis (Kenney's) 0-0 vs. Ben Murtiff (First Class) 0-0
At 225 lbs James Lewis will be facing off against Ben Murtiff. Lewis trains with Kenney's and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Ben Murtiff and he trains out of First Class MMA. He will also be making his amateur debut. Another double amateur debut!
150 AM Killian Murphy (Nostos) 0-0 vs. Krishna Scott (F2 Arena) 0-0
Then at 150 lbs Killian Murphy will be taking on Krishna Scott. Murphy trains with Nostos in NH and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Krishna Scott and he trains out of F2 Arena in Florida. These are both solid schools so you know both of these fighters are going to bring it!
130 AM Walt Shea (First Class) 2-1 vs. Nate Boucher (CMBJJ) 2-2
The next fight of the night is between Walt Shea and Nate Boucher. Shea trains with First Class MMA and comes into this fight with a 2-1 record. He has 2 wins by decision and his one loss by ko/tko to strikes. His opponent is Nate Boucher and he trains with CMBJJ. He comes into this fight with a 2-2 record. In the win column, he has 1 win by submission and 1 win by decision. For his losses, he lost both of them by split decision. This should be a great battle between these to and and coming prospects. I see this one going the distance. Now onto the pro fights!
135 PRO Ernesto Ornelas (Choi's) 2-7 vs. Carl Langston (Young's) 0-0
In the first pro fight of the night Ernesto Ornelas will be taking on Carl Langston at 135 lbs. Ernie trains with Choi's Institute and comes into this fight with a 2-7 record. In the win column, he has 1 win by submission and 1 by decision. For his losses, he lost 2 by ko/tko and 5 by submission. His opponent is Carl Langston and he trains with Young's MMA. He will be making his pro debut and as an amateur he went 7-9. He is a well rounded fighter and has won 3 out of his last 4 fights. I really like this match up as both fighters always leave it all in the cage. Ernie has lost his last 2 fights and has the fight experience in this one that he will want to use to his advantage. Langston has had plenty of amateur fights so he will be more than ready for this battle. I can't wait!
155 PRO Caleb Hall (Choi's) 0-0 vs. John Ortolani (RMNU) 8-12
Then at 155 lbs Caleb Hall will be squaring off against John Ortolani. Caleb trains with Choi's Institute and will be making his much awaited pro debut. As an amateur he went 8-3 with 3 wins by ko/tko, 4 by submission and 1 by decision. His opponent is John Ortolani and he trains with RMNU in Florida. He comes into this fight with an 8-12 record with 4 ko/tko, 2 submission and 2 by split decision. For his losses, he lost 9 by ko/tko, 1 by submission and 2 by decision. In this fight Orto is the veteran in the pro division and is in great shape. Caleb is the newcomer just turning pro who loves to grind out fights and work his takedowns. This is going to be a fun co main event to watch for sure.
155 PRO Bill Jones (Nostos) 12-11 vs. Matt Denning (CMBJJ) 5-7
The main event will be the veteran Bill Jones taking on Matt Denning. Jones trains with Nostos and comes into this fight with a 12-11 record. In the win column, he has 3 by ko/tko, 6 by submission, 2 decision and 1 by DQ. For his losses, he lost 3 by ko/tko, 4 by submission and 4 by decision. He has been fighting since 2007 and is looking to retire with a bang! Standing in his way is Matt Denning and he trains with CMBJJ. He comes into this fight with a 5-7 record with all 5 wins by submission. For his losses, he lost 3 by ko/tko to strikes and 4 by submission. Another solid battle and I see this one being a ground battle.
There you have the complete breakdown of the New England Fight card. Club Aura is a smaller venue so naturally the card is a little smaller but sometimes it is about quality and not quantity. Warchild and I will be taking the trip north to provide the live play by play for you all so make sure you all stay tuned. Thanks to Nick and Matt for always keeping us in the loop with all the latest happenings. If you enjoyed this teaser please share around social media!