Lewiston, Maine (July 1, 2014) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA), the Northeast’s premier mixed martial arts promotion, today announced the addition of an amateur bantamweight bout to the company's upcoming "NEF XIV" event. The fight will feature the double pro debut of Brandon Bushaw (0-0) taking on Elias Leland (0-0) at a weight of 135-pounds. "NEF XIV" is scheduled to take place at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine on September 6, 2014 with a bell time of 7:00 pm.
This is not the first time the fight has been scheduled. Initially, Bushaw and Leland were to meet at "NEF XIII" this past May in Lewiston. Unfortunately, Bushaw was sidelined several weeks before the bout with a staph infection contracted during his training camp for the fight. It was a frustrating setback for both fighters and their teams, eager for the two athletes to make their professional MMA debuts. Now fully-recovered, Bushaw will make the trek from his home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to his native Maine to face Leland at "NEF XIV."
While Bushaw has spent the last several years in Myrtle Beach, he is still wildly-popular with a huge fan-following in the Pine Tree State. Bushaw was raised in Westbrook, Maine where he won state championships in wrestling in 1998 and 1999 while attending Westbrook High School. Later, Bushaw wrestled for Michigan State University, sporting former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion of the World "Sugar" Rashad Evans (21-3-1) as a teammate. Bushaw has competed three times for NEF MMA in Maine as an amateur, going undefeated in all three bouts. The large group of fans he has brought to each of those three events has been deemed the "Bushaw Brigade." No doubt, they will be out in full force on September 6 in Lewiston. Bushaw currently trains with Serra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu out of Myrtle Beach.
“I'm counting down the days to September 6th,” stated Bushaw when reached for comment. “This will be my fourth fight with NEF and also my professional debut. I am evolving as a fighter since making the move to Serra BJJ under Frankie 'Patches' Schauer, and I am looking forward to showcasing it against Eli Leland. This fight was supposed to happen in May, but due to an infection in my leg, I was unable to fight. I want to thank Matt Peterson for making this fight happen for the second time. I know there is a high profile Main Event, but don't be surprised if Bushaw versus Leland steals the show.”
Leland, like Bushaw, went undefeated in the NEF MMA cage as an amateur, finishing all three of his previous opponents. Leland's last appearance with the promotion came at "NEF IX" in August 2013. That night, he was victorious over Trevor Hebert (1-4) via first-round technical knockout. While Leland has not competed since that time, he has remained busy at the Academy of MMA in Portland, Maine, preparing for his foray into the professional ranks under the guidance of Maine combat sports pioneers Jay Jack (12-7) and Amanda Buckner (11-5).
“I can't wait to fight,” stated Leland when reached for comment. “I'm going to put on a show for you guys so make sure you are looking for me. I have worked on my game and it's as strong as ever. Let's do this.”
NEF MMA's next event, “NEF XIV,” is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with a bell time of 7:00 pm. In the main event of the evening, Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia (31-9) returns to Maine to face fellow UFC veteran Christian Morecraft (8-3) for the Super-Heavyweight Title. Featherweight Champion Ray "All Business" Wood (4-0) returns from injury after a year of recovery against Brazil's Gabriel Baino (6-1). Plus, Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington (6-7) and Jesse "The Viking" Erickson (3-2) will meet for the Lightweight Title, and John "First Class" Raio (2-5) competes in his final fight. Tickets for "NEF XIV" start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF MMA videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
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