[NEF PRESS RELEASE]
Portland, Maine (November 3, 2022) – New England Fights (NEF) returns to Aura in Portland, Maine on Saturday, November 12, 2022, with its next mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event “NEF 50.” The promotion will close out its tenth year in business with the type of stacked lineup that has become its calling-card over the years. The full slate of professional and amateur bouts scheduled for NEF’s milestone fiftieth MMA event was announced earlier today. Also announced was the live stream pay-per-view of the event which will be carried on www.CombatSportsNow.com.
In the highly-anticipated main event, two of the Northeast’s premier competitors will square off for the vacant NEF Professional Welterweight Title as “The” Ryan Sanders (20-9) meets Jonathan “War Hawk” Piersma (4-1). A former NEF Professional Lightweight Champion, this will be Sanders’ third attempt at capturing the 170-pound strap. Sanders has won his last 11 fights in a row in the NEF cage – a streak dating back to November 2015. Piersma looks to play the role of spoiler as he brings with him a 100% perfect finish rate with four submissions as a professional.
The co-main event will feature a heavyweight encounter between 6’6” local favorite “The Jamaican Shamrock” Ras “Rasquatch” Hylton (8-6) and Jordan Mitchell (10-16) from Indiana. Both big men are established knockout artists with 17 professional KO’s between them. Hylton is coming off an electrifying 13-second knockout of Cody Lightfoot (6-6) last summer at “NEF 48.” Mitchell is a veteran of bareknuckle boxing bouts. This fight promises a resounding finish.
In a special grudge match, longtime cage veterans Matt “Ken Doll” Denning (7-16) and Carl Langston (2-6) will face off in a featherweight matchup. The back-and-forth trash talk between the two goes back several years on social media. It is rare to have two fighters with so much disdain for one another step into the cage at the same time. The ongoing feud will be settled once and for all at “NEF 50.”
Also on the professional portion of the card: Mohammad Al Kinani (3-1) returns to take on the debuting Tymar Miles (0-0) at lightweight; Nathaniel Grimard (2-1) meets Brandon Gibbs (2-10) at a catchweight of 150 pounds; and Justin Kangas (0-0) makes his pro debut against Brian Cosco (0-1) at a catchweight of 165 pounds in what will be Kangas’ final fight.
On the amateur card, Zach Faulkner (4-3) will look to get back in the win column against the debuting Chase O’Brien (0-0) in the 155-pound lightweight division. Faulkner has lost his last two in a row and hopes to finish 2022 by breaking the skid.
In another amateur lightweight bout, Ed Davis (1-0) and Patrick Mitchell (1-0) are scheduled to open the show. Davis and Mitchell were both victorious in their amateur debuts last summer at “NEF 48” and “NEF 49,” respectively.
Maine football legend Jared Turcotte (1-0) returns to the NEF cage to battle Regian Marcus Laurenco Da Silva, Jr. (0-0) in amateur light-heavyweight action. Turcotte, a member of the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame, made his debut last summer at “NEF 48” with an explosive submission of Seth Godfrey (1-1) a mere 35-seconds into the first round.
In the sole women’s fight on the card, Cassidy Bedard (1-0) will meet Lindsey Kelley (0-0) at a catchweight of 150 pounds. Bedard’s debut last spring was one of the wildest bouts to ever take place in the NEF cage with her opponent, Michelle MacDavid (0-1), disqualified after an eye gouge. Kelley stepped up to take the fight on short notice when Bedard’s original opponent recently pulled out.
The full “NEF 50” fight card:
PROFESSIONAL
170*TITLE: Ryan Sanders (Vision Quest) vs. Jonathan Piersma (Synthesis BJJ)
265: Ras Hylton (ATT Tampa/Dragon Fire/Choi) vs. Jordan Mitchell (Pitbull)
145: Carl Langston (Clifford’s TKD) vs. Matt Denning (Denning’s MMA)
155: Tymar Miles (Train to Go) vs. Mohammad Al Kinani (Evolution Athletix)
150: Darren Gibbs (Allegiance Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Nathaniel Grimard (Nostos)
165: Justin Kangas (First Class) vs. Brian Cosco (Brazilian Top Team/Sityodtong)
AMATEUR
155: Zach Faulkner (Recon) vs. Chase O’Brien (Wai Kru)
205: Jared Turcotte (CMBJJ) vs. Regian Marcus Lourenco Da Silva, Jr. (Karasu Tengu)
135: Aaron Rodriguez (Ascension Athletics) vs. Teddy Politis (Evolution Athletix)
225: Cody Dular (Team Benson) vs. Robert Gray (Team Krane)
145: Danny Wahlberg (USMMA) vs. Johnny Milligan (Wai Kru)
150: Cassidy Bedard (CMBJJ) vs. Lindsey Kelley (Evolution Athletix)
145: Chris Strout (First Class) vs. Nicholas Mulrey (South Shore Sportfighting)
145: Soren Mercer (Titan Athletics) vs. Rosen Iliev (Brown U. MMA Club)
145: Eddy Peña (Vision Quest) vs. Avery Poole (Nostos)
165: Armon Bryant (CMBJJ) vs. Tristan Wood (Karasu Tengu)
155: Ed Davis (Titan Athletics) vs. Patrick Mitchell (Team Ellison)
“NEF 50” is scheduled for Saturday, November 12 at Aura in Portland, Maine. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with first fight taking place at 7 p.m. Tickets are available now at www.TicketMaster.com. The event will also stream live on a pay-per-view basis at www.CombatSportsNow.com.
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