Orono, Maine (August 9, 2019) – New England Fights (NEF) will debut in Orono on September 7, 2019 at the Collins Center for the Arts with the promotion's next mixed-martial-arts event, "NEF 40: School of Hard Knocks." Earlier today, NEF announced the full fight card for the event. In all, a whopping 22 fights are currently scheduled to take place on the University of Maine campus that evening.
In the main event, undefeated former teammates will square off when Josh "Hook On" Harvey (6-0-1) meets Ricky Dexter (1-0) at a fight weight of 160 pounds. Harvey and Dexter were teammates at Young's MMA in Bangor, Maine until earlier this year when Harvey left the gym. They previously met as amateurs in the NEF cage with Harvey picking up the win. Both fighters have huge fan followings in the area, and with the emotional bad blood aspect added to the bout, this main event is sure to produce fireworks the likes of which have yet to be seen in Orono.
6'6" Ras "The Jamaican Shamrock" Hylton (4-2) is set to take on the debuting Chris Sarro in a 225-pound cruiserweight bout. Hylton is coming off a big win last April in Portland, Maine. Sarro is 7-1 as an amateur boxer and won the 2019 Northern New England Golden Gloves Championship in the superheavyweight division.
Also featured on the pro card will be a light heavyweight battle between Victor Irwin (1-2) and Buck Pineau (1-6). Both fighters will be looking for their second win as a professional. Irwin is the former NEF Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion. Pineau will be fighting for the first time in NEF as a professional after having competed for the promotion eight times as an amateur from 2012 to 2014.
Fred Lear (0-1) and Tommy Kenney (0-2) will each try to secure their respective first victories in the professional ranks when they meet in a bantamweight bout. Lear had a successful amateur career in NEF, capturing the 135-pound championship at "NEF 30" in Bangor. He lost his professional debut at "NEF 38" earlier this year. Kenney, a resident of Vermont, has competed in combat sports for thirteen years. This will be his first fight on Maine soil.
The amateur portion of the card will be headlined by a featherweight title fight as Tom "The Phenom" Pagliarulo (3-1) defends his belt against local favorite Jimmy Jackson (4-3). Pagliarulo won the title last April in Portland over Zac "Rocky" Richard (3-2-1). Jackson returned to the NEF cage in June after a three-year absence with a win over Brandon Sewall (0-1).
Speaking of Zac Richard and Brandon Sewall, they are scheduled to face each other in a lightweight contest on the "NEF 40" amateur card. Richard is looking to bounce back from two straight losses in the featherweight division, while Sewall seeks his first win as an amateur.
Undefeated women's MMA prospect Glory Watson (5-0) returns to the NEF cage to take on Canada's Lin MacMillan (0-1). Watson captured the NEF Women's Amateur Flyweight Title in June at "NEF 39." The fight with MacMillan will see Watson compete at the 115-pound strawweight limit for the first time in her career.
Someone's "0" will have to go when Jason Landry (2-0) faces Mike Bezanson (2-0) in an amateur welterweight contest. Landry has been one of the breakout stars in NEF in 2019 with a win over a much more experienced opponent in his amateur debut at "NEF 38" and then a highlight-reel, eight-second knockout at "NEF 39." Bezanson, who made waves in NEF in 2015 and 2016 with his flashy striking style, returns to active competition after a three-year absence.
The full "NEF 40" fight card (subject to change):
PROFESSIONAL MMA
160 Ricky Dexter 1-0 (Young’s MMA) vs Josh Harvey 6-0-1 (Vision Quest Muay Thai)
225 Ras Hylton 4-2 (First Class/Dragon Fire) vs Chris Sarro 0-0 (Acadia BJJ)
165 CJ Ewer 3-3 (Young’s MMA) vs TBD
205 Victor Irwin 1-2 (Young’s MMA) vs Buck Pineau 1-6 (Independent)
135 Fred Lear 0-1 (Young’s MMA) vs Tommy Kenney 0-2 (Team Irish Beasts)
AMATEUR MMA
145*TITLE Jimmy Jackson 4-3 (Young’s MMA) vs Tom Pagliarulo 3-1 (c) (Spero’s/Burgess)
155 Brandon Sewall 0-1 (Independent) vs Zac Richard 3-2-1 (Nostos)
155 Jacob Deppmeyer 1-1-1 (First Class MMA) vs Devin Corson 2-0 (The Outlet)
125 Caleb Austin 1-0 (Independent) vs Cory Richards 0-0 (Acadia BJJ)
130 Dillon Henry 0-2 (First Class MMA) vs Steve Desjardins 4-3 (Independent)
170 Jason Landry 2-0 (Team Landry) vs Mike Bezanson 2-0 (Kaze)
205 Ben Murtiff 1-0 (First Class MMA) vs Henry Jeffs 0-1 (Independent)
145 Clifford Redman 0-11 (Independent) vs John Marclay 0-0 (Nostos)
140 Jordan Young 2-2 (Independent) vs Cory Cochran 0-0 (Rumford Hardcore)
145 Taylor Bartlett 1-2-1 (CMBJJ) vs Randall Hathorn 0-0 (Combative Martial Arts)
155 Ryan Savage 0-1 (First Class MMA) vs Andrew Kamakas 0-0 (Fusion)
115 Glory Watson 5-0 (Young’s MMA) vs Lin MacMillan 0-1 (Independent)
155 Mike Murray 1-0 (Camden Combat/The Foundry) vs Jordin Crim 1-0 (UFAI)
185 Justin Philbrook 0-2 (Independent) vs Dylan Williams 0-1 (Independent)
155 Justin Kangas 0-1 (First Class MMA) vs Nathaniel Grimard 0-0 (Nostos)
175 Greg Ishihara 1-1 (Recon) vs Tony Atienza 0-0 (Independent)
155 Eric Tainter 0-1 (Young’s MMA) vs Justin Gilman 0-0 (Team Irish Beasts)
New England Fights' next mixed-martial-arts event, "NEF 40: SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS," will take place Saturday, September 7, 2019 at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine as the promotion debuts in Orono, Maine. Tickets are on sale now at www.collinscenterforthearts.com.