Lewiston, Maine (August 13, 2012) – New England Fights (NEF) is proud to announce that its fight card for Fight Night IV on September 8 at The Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine will feature eight competitors from Team Irish.
“On the first three Fight Night cards in Maine, Team Irish was notably absent,” said NEF promoter and co-owner Nick DiSalvo. “Team Irish is not only one of the biggest teams in Maine, but it’s one of the biggest teams in the world of MMA. Matt (Peterson) and I are thrilled to have them as part of the NEF family now. Their presence is going to really shake things up in the ranks of NEF from here on out.”
With locations in both Brewer and Portland, Team Irish has blanketed Maine geographically with its large roster of fighters. The team is owned and operated by UFC veteran, and New England MMA legend, Marcus Davis (20-9). Davis is a native of Bangor, Maine, and he is considered a pioneer of the sport in the region. Having come from a solid amateur boxing background, Davis spent over four years in the UFC from late 2006 to early 2011. In that time, he competed in some of the promotion’s most memorable bouts against the likes of Chris Lytle, Dan Hardy, Shonie Carter, and Nate Diaz.
“I’ve been a fan of Marcus Davis for a long, long time,” stated NEF matchmaker and co-owner Matt Peterson. “To say the man is a ‘legend’ is a real understatement. To have his team competing for NEF now is a real honor.”
"I'm excited," stated Garth Krane, Team Irish's General Manager. "Marcus is excited. There was a period in time when you couldn't even consider thinking about MMA in Maine without hearing about Team Irish. September 8th we will bring some of the old and new faces and talent. We will ensure that the Team Irish name is a name people associate with MMA and winning. We have something to prove and our guys can't wait to do it."
Fight Night IV on September 8 will feature no less than seven Team Irish amateurs in action: Kris Kramer (1-0); Will McCall (0-0); Tommy Balzano (3-1); Noah Hall (1-1); Andrew Hughes (3-1); Greg Morse (1-1); and Kent Smallwood (0-0). In addition, the main card will see the pro debut of Team Irish member Jon Lemke (5-0 amateur record) when he meets Nate Oses (4-2 amateur record), who is also making his pro debut, in a lightweight battle.
“Lemke vs. Oses would head any amateur card in the northeast,” said Peterson. “This is the #2 ranked lightweight (Lemke) facing the #5 (Oses) in their respective pro debuts. They’re a couple of fighters with great conditioning that have been known to go deep into the final round.” DiSalvo added, “Nate’s fought for me twice before down in Massachusetts. Both fights went the distance. He always brings it. My hat’s off to both of these great fighters for taking such a tough challenge in their pro debut. Don’t be surprised if this fight ends up being the sleeper of the night.” FIGHT NIGHT IV is slated for September 8 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, ME. The card will feature a headline fight between Jesse Peterson (6-2) and Cody Lightfoot (6-3) for the NEF Maine State MMA Middleweight Title, as well as a fight for the NEF Maine State MMA Welterweight Title between Ryan Sanders (4-1) and UFC veteran Ricardo Funch (8-4). Tickets are on sale and most of cage-side sold-out within minutes. For more information on this event, visit www.NewEnglandFights.com. You can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights”. Tickets for Fight Night IV are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at 207-783-2009.
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