Rumford, Maine (July 18, 2013) – New England Fights (NEF) today announced the addition of a catchweight super fight to the promotion’s upcoming event “NEF IX” to be held at the Biddeford Ice Arena in Biddeford, Maine on Saturday, August 3rd. On that night, Team Irish PTC’s and Alexey Cruz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Black Belt Kris Kramer (2-0) will battle Balanced Ground MMA’s, and former Maine State Wrestling Champion, Dominic Cofone (3-1). Kramer, a natural featherweight fighter and Cofone, a lightweight, have compromised and agreed to meet in the middle at a catchweight of 150-pounds for this significant bout.
“This is the best possible matchup imaginable right now between two of Maine’s most talented and promising amateur fighters,” stated NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “Dom Cofone has been on a tear since debuting back in February. His only loss was last month, a split-decision that happened out-of-state against Kirk Florian—younger brother of famous UFC veteran Kenny Florian—in a fight that many people, including myself, thought Dom won. Kris Kramer has put his elite-level Black Belt BJJ game to work in both of his wins by submitting his opponents in the first round. This fight puts an already stacked card over the top.”
Dominic Cofone won a Class A State Championship in wrestling at Westbrook High School back in 2001. Cofone had an overall record of 117-28 and was a multiple-time place winner at the state championships in high school. Earlier this year, the 31-year old started studying under trainer Nate Charles at Balanced Ground in Windham and made the decision to try his hand at mixed martial arts (MMA). He rattled off three wins in his first three outings in three months through utilizing his wrestling background to brutalize his opponents and create excellent cage control.
“Thanks to NEF for putting this fight together and for Team Irish for accepting the bout—it’s always a pleasure to compete against top schools,” Cofone stated when reached for comment. “Coming off of my first loss, I’m hungry. I’m coming back harder and stronger than before. If there’s anything I’ve learned from my last fight, it’s that you can’t leave it up to the judges—and I don’t plan on doing that again. I’m ready to showcase not only my wrestling, but also my overall versatility as a fighter. It’s great to be fighting back in Maine. Please come out and support your local mixed martial artists—don’t miss out. I hope to see everyone there on August 3rd.”
Kris Kramer is a meticulous student of “the gentle art.” He studies and was awarded his black belt under 4th degree de La Riva Black Belt, Alexey Cruz. The 36-year old Kramer, who trains out of the Team Irish Performance Training Center (PTC) and Cruz’s Team 1 BJJ in southern Maine, is known for his composed demeanor and highly technical ground game. He is the thinking man’s jiu-jitsu fighter. Despite bumping up in weight to face Cofone, Kramer is cool at the prospect of facing a larger, stronger wrestler.
“What am I to say?” Kramer stated when reached for comment. “Lots of guys think they can beat somebody up. I’ve beaten guys who’ve underestimated me before.”
“The fun of this fight is that it’s such a contrast in styles and personalities,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “On the one hand you have Kramer, who is so slick and smooth and so well trained and polished because he’s been such a disciplined student of the sport—he sees all the angles and his movement in the cage is the manifestation of the beauty and efficacy of the art of BJJ. On the other side you have Dom Cofone, who is a big, strong, forceful contender that seems to intuitively understand how to transform his wrestling into practical fighting maneuvers. Dom knows how to win. I can count on one hand the number of Maine fighters that have beat Team Bombsquad members when we bring those guys into town, and Dom is one of those select few that holds a win over Bombsquad. This fight is brilliant on so many levels. Cheers to both guys for agreeing to meet in the middle so that we can be treated as fans to a great show on August 3rd in Biddeford.”
New England Fights! presents NEF IX on August 3, 2013 in Biddeford, Maine at the Biddeford Ice Arena. Tickets start at $20 and are on sale now at 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.”