Hyannis, Massachusetts (May 6, 2016) – It will be no day at the beach, but they might just leave some blood on the sand. New England Fights (NEF) plans to storm Cape Cod on Saturday, May 14, 2016 with the first-ever mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event to be held on the popular tourist destination. The northeast's top regional fight promotion will pack up its cage in one week and make the 200-mile trek south from NEF's base of operations in Lewiston, Maine to the Hyannis Youth & Community Center (HYCC).
The attention the event has received has been staggering. "The Cape Cod community has welcomed us with open arms," said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. "The HYCC is a great venue with an awesome staff. Patti Lloyd at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce has been a huge help in making this event happen as well. And we have some fantastic new sponsors on the Cape like Bodystrong Fitness who have helped us spread the word."
Indeed, the word has spread and ticket sales have been so strong, and demand so overwhelming, that the promotion had to order more chairs and tickets when cageside inventory sold out last week. "The fans were asking us to add some more cageside seats, so we happily accommodated them," noted DiSalvo.
And fight fans in attendance will be treated to a night filled with wild cage action. The card is stacked with world class wrestlers and martial artists from Maine, Cape Cod and Massachusetts' South Shore. Hyannis-based Team Juniko will be prominently featured in no less than six of the evening's bouts.
Brendan "Lock Down" Battles (0-0) of Juniko is scheduled to make his professional MMA debut in the heavyweight main event, locking horns with Mike "The Mustache" Hansen (4-3). Battles was a three-time All American wrestler out of nearby Nauset Regional High School where he won two state championships and three New England championships. He was 2-0 as an amateur MMA fighter. Hansen has a wrestling pedigree of his own, having captured a state title for Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine. Hansen is a ten-year-plus veteran of the MMA cage.
The co-main event of the evening will feature a rematch from "NEF 15" in November 2014. "Shatterproof 2.0" Derek Shorey (3-6) will look to avenge a loss to Matt "Ken Doll" Denning (2-2). Shorey's supporters have claimed for the past year-and-a-half that Denning's submission victory was a fluke and that Denning would not be able to defeat Shorey a second time should the pair ever meet again. Those claims will be put to the test in Hyannis in this lightweight rematch.
"It was a short notice fight that NEF asked for, and I know Derek wanted a rematch," said Denning. "After I beat him again, I'll prove it wasn't a fluke. I wanted this fight so I could get some new fans in Massachusetts and show my skills. I have had two losses in a row to great guys and want to get back in the win column."
"I thought I could beat him the first time, and he caught me with an armbar," Shorey admitted. "This time I will leave that cage the victor."
"It's one of those fights we always get asked whether there will be a rematch," stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. "This will finally prove, once and for all, whether Matt Denning got lucky coming up with that armbar that night. Whatever you do, don't blink! These two guys are finishers. Whatever the outcome, it's not going to the judges. Someone's getting knocked out or submitted in this one."
In another pro fight, longtime NEF mainstay Crowsneck Boutin (1-2) will take on another promotion regular in the form of Ruben Redman (0-0). The bout will be Redman's professional debut after six amateur fights with NEF in Maine. Boutin is a prolific striker based out of the Choi Institute in Portland. The fight will take place at the middleweight limit of 185-pounds.
The amateur headliner will see Dustin Veinott (4-4) in a flyweight showdown with Ryan "Razzle Dazzle" Kane (4-3). Veinott is the former NEF MMA Amateur Flyweight Champion. He dropped the title in a very close split decision loss to Ryan Burgess (2-0) last November. Kane, from Plymouth, Massachusetts, is a member of Team Juniko and an accomplished competitor in the ancient Greek martial art of Pankration.
A women's fight will be prominently featured on the amateur card. Angela Young (1-1) is scheduled to face Kylie O'Hearn (0-0). Young is coming off a big win just two weeks ago against Hannah Sparrell (1-1) at "NEF 22" in Lewiston. O'Hearn, another product of Plymouth, Massachusetts and Team Juniko, will be making her amateur MMA debut. The fight will take place at the bantamweight limit of 135-pounds.
Young's teammate Victor Irwin (1-0) will make the five-hour road trip along with her from Bangor, Maine to compete in Hyannis. Irwin will square off with newcomer Tracey Schryba (0-0) in the amateur light-heavyweight division.
Brewster's Ed Forlenza (0-0) makes his amateur debut against Frank Johanson (0-1) in a 160-pound catchweight bout. Forlenza is a 2004 graduate of Nauset Regional High School where he was a standout on the wrestling team. Johanson's opponent pulled out of their bout on fight day two weeks ago at "NEF 22." Not one to let a good fight camp go to waste, Johanson agreed to take the fight with Forlenza in Hyannis.
In another 160-pound catchweight bout, Steve Bang (3-4) takes on Fabian Miranda (2-0). Bang is a member of the famous father-sons fighting family of Auburn, Maine. Miranda represents Team Juniko and will look to add to his undefeated record in the fight with Bang.
Rounding out the fight card is a 190-pound catchweight bout featuring Anthony Spires (0-1) and Thomas Lee Davis (1-0). Spires, an independent fighter from Maine, hopes to rebound from a loss in his debut last fall at "NEF XX." Davis is a member of Team Juniko.
“NEF 23: CAGE THE CAPE,” takes place Saturday, May 14, 2016 at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Tickets for “NEF 23” are $40 for general admission and $60 for cageside. They are on sale now at www.NewEnglandFights.com/Tickets
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 videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for New England’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.