NEF returns with their first show of the year with an action packed card. This will be their 27th show to date and it will take place this Saturday at The Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. They have a total of 19 fights which include 7 pro fights and 1 amateur title fight. The meat of the card, the pro portion has many of the big name NEF fighters one would expect to be on a card. Tickets are still available starting at just $35 at the link here. Another big thing to note is this is the semi-final for the Lightweight Tournament and the winners will fight for the finals at an upcoming NEF card. Our fellow writer Travis Lizotte did a great breakdown of it at the link here. The last event they had was a bloody war of a night and I can't wait to see how this one unfolds. The doors will be opening at 6pm and the first fight is set to start at 7pm. Please follow along as I break down the fight card in its entirety.
125 AM Angela Young (Youngs) 1-2 vs Christine Brothwell 0-2 (Bucket Brigade)
In the second fight Angela Young steps back into the NEF cage against Christine Brothwell at 125 lbs. Angela trains out of Young's MMA and comes into this fight with a 1-2 record. She has 1 win by decision and 2 losses by way of decision. Her opponent is Christine Brothwell and she trains with Bucket Brigade. She comes into this fight with an 0-2 record with 1 loss by ko/tko and 1 loss by decision. This is another close fight and I see it going the distance.
155 AM Ross Dannar 0-1 (Nostos) vs Phil Chason 0-0 (The Academy)
Then at 155 lbs Ross Dannar will battle Phil Chason. Dannar trains out of Nostos MMA and comes into this fight with an 0-1 record. He lost his first fight by split decision to Trevor Gudde at a previous Cage Titans event. I was there for that fight and it was a real close battle. He is still hungry for his first victory. His opponent is Phil Chason and he trains at the Academy. He will be making his amateur debut. Dannar will not want to leave it into the hands of the judges as he found out firsthand when he lost the split decision the risk so I expect to see him go hard for the finish in this one.
145 AM Jacob Deppmeyer 0-0 (First Class) vs Frank Johanson 1-2 (CMBJJ)
At 145 lbs Jacob Deppmeyer will take on Frank Johanson. Jacob trains out of First Class MMA and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Frank Johanson and he trains with CMBJJ. Frank comes into this fight with a 1-2 record with 1 win by submission. For his losses, he lost both of them by ko/tko to strikes. Jacob will be looking to make a name for himself in his first fight and Frank will look to use his experience and work the win.
205 AM Zeal McGrew 1-1 (Redline) vs Pete Grinnell 0-0 (Lawton)
At 205 Zeal McGrew will take on Pete Grinnell. Zeal trains with Redline and comes into this fight with a 1-1 record. He has 1 win by submission and one loss by ko/tko to strikes. His opponent is Pete Grinnell and he trains with Lawton's MMA. He will be making his amateur debut. Zeal is a tough fighter coming out of Redline who are known for their striking. Pete will probably want to get this fight to the ground and test Zeal there if he wants to win this fight.
155 AM Devin Corson 0-0 (Shatterproof) vs Winston Cortez 0-0 (S. Tampa)
At 155 lbs Devin Corson will take on Winston Cortez. Corson trains with Shatterproof and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Winston Cortez and he trains with South Tampa. He will also be making his amateur debut. Tough to predict as both of these fighters are brand new but I like the unexpected.
135 AM Michael Crespo 3-2 (First Class) vs Fred Lear 4-2 (Young’s)
At 135 lbs Michael Crespo will square off against Fred Lear. Crespo trains with First Class and comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. In the win column, he has 1 win by submission and 2 by way of decision. For his losses, he lost 1 by submission and 1 by decision. His opponent is Fred Lear and he trains out of Young's MMA. Lear comes into this fight with 4-2 record with 2 ko/tko, 1 sub and 1 decision. For his losses, he lost both by way of submission. I see this fight being a close stand up war.
At 135 lbs Michael Crespo will square off against Fred Lear. Crespo trains with First Class and comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. In the win column, he has 1 win by submission and 2 by way of decision. For his losses, he lost 1 by submission and 1 by decision. His opponent is Fred Lear and he trains out of Young's MMA. Lear comes into this fight with 4-2 record with 2 ko/tko, 1 sub and 1 decision. For his losses, he lost both by way of submission. I see this fight being a close stand up war.
Then comes a fight between Nicole Burgess and Sarah Ziehm. Burgess trains with Berserker's MMA and comes into this fight with an 0-1 record. She lost her first fight against Alex Walker by submission in Rd 3. She is ready and looking for her first win the cage. Her opponent is Sarah Ziehm and she trains with CMBJJ. This will be a great first battle and I think it will be a close one.
185 AM Jon Tefft 0-0 (First Class) vs Sean Worcester 0-1 (Independent)
Jon Tefft will square off against Sean Worcester at 185 lbs. Jon trains with First Class MMA and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Sean Worcester and he is an independent fighter. He fought for NEF and lost by submission to Joel Adams back in 2013. Two fairly new fights both striving to bring home their first W. You know they are both gonna bring it.
140 AM Henry Clark 3-2 (Choi Institute) vs Alex Clark 3-2 (Young’s)
Next up is Henry Clark taking on Alex Clark in a catchweight fight at 140 lbs. Henry trains out of Choi's Institute and comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. For his wins, he has all 3 wins by submission. For his losses, he has lost both by ko/tko to strikes. His opponent is Alex Clark and he comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. He trains out of Young's MMA and has all 3 wins by decision. For his losses, he lost 1 by ko/tko and 1 by submission. Both fighters are from great teams and record are exactly identical. It doesn't really get any closer of a match up than this. The fans will definitely enjoy this battle.
Next up is Henry Clark taking on Alex Clark in a catchweight fight at 140 lbs. Henry trains out of Choi's Institute and comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. For his wins, he has all 3 wins by submission. For his losses, he has lost both by ko/tko to strikes. His opponent is Alex Clark and he comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. He trains out of Young's MMA and has all 3 wins by decision. For his losses, he lost 1 by ko/tko and 1 by submission. Both fighters are from great teams and record are exactly identical. It doesn't really get any closer of a match up than this. The fans will definitely enjoy this battle.
125 AM Ryan Burgess 2-1 (Berserkers) vs Justin Witham 2-4 (Shatterproof)
Next up is Ryan Burgess taking on Justin Witham at 125 lbs amateur. Burgess trains with Berserker's MMA and comes into this fight with a 2-1 record. He has both wins by way of decision and his one loss by submission to Dustin Veinott. His opponent is Justin Witham and he trains with Team Shatterproof. Justin comes into this fight with a 2-4 record with 1 win by ko/tko and 1 win by submission. For his losses, he lost 3 by submission and 1 by decision. This is a rematch from when they first fought back in June of 2015 when Ryan won the decision. Now they are looking to show how much they have improved since then. I don't see this one going the distance and I give the slight edge to Burgess.
135 AM Walt Shea 1-0 (First Class) vs Alan Bustamante 0-0 (South Tampa)
At 135 lbs Walt Shea takes on Alan Bustamante. Shea trains with First Class MMA and comes into this fight with a 1-0 record. He won his first fight by decision against Joel Downing at NEF 25. His opponent is Alan Bustamante and he trains with South Tampa MMA. He will be making his amateur debut. I see this one being a stand up battle.
205 AM *TITLE Ryan Glover 3-1 (Berserkers)(c) vs Victor Irwin 2-0 (Youngs)
For the 205 amateur title Ryan Glover will take on Victor Irwin. Glover trains with Berserkers and comes into this fight with a 3-1 record. In the win column, he has 2 wins by ko/tko and 1 win by submission. His only loss came by a decision to Bill Leahy by unanimous decision. This will be his first title defense. His opponent is Victor Irwin and he trains with Young's MMA. He comes into this fight with a record of 2-0 with 1 win by ko/tko and 1 by submission. I don't see this one going to a decision with both of these heavy hitters. Don't blink!
Elias Leland will take on Nick Santos in a pro bout at 135 lbs. Leland trains with the Academy and comes into this fight with a 2-2 record. He has 2 wins by submission and for his losses, he lost 1 by ko/tko and 1 by sub. His opponent is Nick Santos and he trains with Team Fury. He comes into this fight with an 0-4 record with 3 losses by submission and 1 by ko/tko. Don't let his record fool you, he puts on a show everytime. I see this one being an awesome start to the pro portion of the card. It will be a slug fest but I feel if it goes to the ground Leland will have the advantage.
145 PRO Josh Harvey 2-0 (Young’s) vs Richie Collingham 3-3 (Lakes Region)
Next up is Josh Harvey taking on Richie Collingham at 145 lbs. Harvey trains out of Young's MMA and comes into this fight with a 2-0 record. In the win column he has 1 win by ko/tko and 1 win by submission. He is looking to add one more to the win column this Saturday! His opponent is Richie Collinghamn and he trains with Lakes Region. He steps into this fight with a 3-3 record with all wins and losses by submission. Harvey is a monster and with every win he wins in a big way. He will be looking for the win any way he can. As for Richie, I have never seen him fight before but it sounds like he will want to take this fight on the ground to work his submission.
160 PRO Matt Denning 3-5 (CMBJJ) vs Ricky Dexter 0-0 (Team Irish)
At a catch weight of 160 lbs Matt Denning will square off against Ricky Dexter. Denning trains with CMBJJ and steps into this fight with a 3-5 record with all 3 wins by submission. In the loss column, he lost 1 by ko/tko and 4 by submission. He is coming off of a 3 fight losing streak and he is going to fighting hard to break that streak. His opponent is Ricky Dexter and he is making his much awaited pro debut. He trains with Team Irish and as an amateur had a record of 5-2 with 4 KO/TKO and 1 SUB. I don't see this fight going the distance and it is going to be a good scrap.
235 PRO Mike Hansen 5-4 (Berserkers) vs Ras Hylton 0-0 (First Class)
At 235 lbs Mike Hansen welcomes Ras Hylton to the pro division. Hansen trains with the Berserkers and comes into this fight with a 5-4 record with 1 KO/TKO and 4 SUB. For his losses, he lost 3 by ko/tko and by submission. His opponent is Ras Hylton and he trains with First Class. As an amateur Rasquatch went 3-0 with 3 wins by ko/tko and he would love another ko this Saturday! This fight is worth the price of admission and there is absolutely no way this fight is going to go to a decision. It is going down either 2 ways, Ras with the ko/tko or Hansen with the submission, take your pick. Either way the fans win here!
145 PRO Aaron Lacey 4-0 (Young’s) vs Chris Jacobs 1-0 (Pete White)
Next up is at 145 lbs Aaron Lacey takes on Chris Jacobs. Lacey trains with Young's MMA and comes into this fight with a 4-0 record. In the win column, he has 1 ko/tko, 2 sub and 1 decision victory. His opponent is Chris Jacobs and he trains with Pete White. He comes into this fight with a 1-0 record with 1 win by ko/tko. Jacobs is no joke as he went 7-4 as an amateur with wins all across the board. Both fighters are very well rounded and this fight could be a barn burner and steal the night.
155 PRO Jesse Erickson 9-5 (CMBJJ) vs Jon Lemke 5-7 (Team Irish)
The co main event fight is between Jesse Erickson and Jon Lemke. Erickson trains with CMBJJ and comes into this fight with a 9-5 record. For his wins, he has 3 by ko/tko and 6 by submission. For his losses, he has 3 by ko/tko and 2 by submission. As you can see Jesse leaves it all in the cage and never lets it go to a decision. His opponent is Jon Lemke and he trains with Team Irish. Jon comes into this fight with a 5-7 record with 4 wins by ko/tko and 1 by decision. In the loss column, he lost 1 by ko/tko, 4 by sub and 2 by decision. These two fought before for Bellator back in 2013 early in both of their pro careers and Lemke won by ko/tko in Rd 1. Both of these guys have fought several times since then and I doubt it is going to end in Rd 1 like last time. I see this one being a stand up war. Standing up Lemke has the advantage and if it goes to the ground Erickson has the advantage. I can't wait!
155 PRO Ryan Sanders 12-8 (Young’s) vs John Ortolani 8-10 (S. Tampa)
The main event and the last fight in the semifinal tournament is between Ryan Sanders and John Ortolani. Sanders trains out of Young's MMA and comes into this fight with a 12-8 record. For his wins, he has 1 ko/tko, 8 submissions and 3 by decision. For his losses, he has 1 by ko/tko, 1 by sub and 6 by decision. His opponent is John Ortolani and he trains with South Tampa in Florida. He comes into this fight with an 8-10 record with 4 wins by ko/tko, 2 sub and 2 by decision. For his losses, he lost 8 by ko/tko and 2 by decision. Both of these guys know how to bring it and get the crowd on their feet. They both are very well rounded and I see this one being a stand up battle.
There you have our complete breakdown of the New England Fights 27th installment. After this long week of shoveling I am looking forward to covering this event for you all. I will be there recapping all the action live and Warchild will be taking some epic photos for us. As always thanks to NEF for always having their fight cards up to date and available for us to share with you all. Hope to see you all there!