📰 NEWS--📰 NEF ANNOUNCES STACKED FIGHT CARD FOR MILESTONE 50TH MMA EVENT

 [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.

📰 NEWS--📰 LONG-AWAITED GRUDGE MATCH WILL FINALLY TAKE PLACE AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 

Portland, Maine (October 22, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional featherweight bout to the card.  Matt Denning (7-16) will take on Carl Langston (2-6) at a fight weight of 145 pounds.

 The rivalry between Denning and Langston has been brewing for years.  They were scheduled to meet each other as amateurs in 2014, but the fight was canceled.  The pair has exchanged banter on social media for some time.  A professional fight was never made, however, due to the disparity in weight between them.  With Denning dropping back down to the featherweight division, the grudge match has finally become a reality.

 Matt Denning has been one of the most active fighters in the New England region in 2022.  “NEF 50” will mark Denning’s eighth fight this calendar year, including one pro boxing bout.  He is on a two-fight losing streak this fall after putting together back-to-back wins last summer.  Denning has vowed to end Langston’s career on November 12.

📰 NEWS--📰 TURCOTTE READY TO SET FIRE AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 21, 2022) 

Former Lewiston (Maine) High School football coach Bill County once described the running style of his star pupil, Jared Turcotte, as “violent.” Turcotte parlayed that bull-in-a-china-closet approach into the Fitzpatrick Trophy, symbolic of his home state’s premier player on the schoolboy gridiron, and All-American status at the University of Maine.

When the retired bell-cow back reintroduced himself to the competitive arena as a mixed martial artist with New England Fights this past July, it took all of 35 seconds for Turcotte to make it clear he had no interest in reinventing himself as an athlete. It was the same, time-honored approach in a different environment.

Turcotte used that tiny window to take his fight with Seth Godfrey into the proverbial phone booth, pummel his fellow amateur light heavyweight into a prone position and lock in a rear naked choke for an electrifying tap-out victory.

📰 NEWS--📰 FAULKNER & O’BRIEN IN LIGHTWEIGHT SCRAP AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 

Portland, Maine (October 19, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur lightweight bout to the card.  Zach Faulkner (4-3) will meet Chase O’Brien (0-0) at a fight weight of 155 pounds.

Zach Faulkner will look to break the first two-fight losing streak of his amateur career and pick up his first win of the calendar year.  He started 2022 off with a split-decision loss in a very hard fought battle with Mike Murray (4-2) for the NEF Amateur Lightweight Title at “NEF 46” in February.  Faulkner would suffer his next loss against a tough Bobby Kelley (3-4) last summer at “NEF 48.”  Prior to 2022, Faulkner was 4-1 with three finishes to his credit.  He is a five-year veteran of the NEF cage.  Faulkner currently represents Recon MMA based in Westbrook, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 NATHANIEL GRIMARD: “I’M HUNGRY FOR THIS FIGHT. I’M COMING TO PUT HIM OUT AS FAST AS I CAN IF THAT’S POSSIBLE.”

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 18, 2022)

Nathaniel Grimard is the opposite of a mixed martial artist whose strategy is plowing through over-matched opponents with a soft underbelly to supplement the bottom line on his Tapology profile.

It’s more than a mild surprise to see Grimard (2-1) schedule his fourth foray into the professional cage for New England Fights against a journeyman from Michigan who’s only had his hand raised in victory twice out of a dozen pro bouts.

Darren Gibbs is no ordinary have-mouthpiece, will-travel warm body hitting the highway in search of a paycheck at NEF 50, and his opponent Grimard is the first person to take up that case.

📰 NEWS--📰 AL KINANI READIES FOR WAR AT NEF 50 IN PORTLAND

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 Portland, Maine (October 17, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the card.  Mohammad Al Kinani (3-1) is scheduled to face Tymar “The Marksman” Miles (0-0) at a fight weight of 155 pounds.

Mohammad Al Kinani is coming off a big win this past weekend in Indiana via first-round technical knockout over Ray Evans (0-2).  It was a comeback victory after Al Kinani’s upset loss at the hands of Ross Dannar (1-0) last spring at “NEF 47.”  Prior to that loss, Al Kinani had won the first two fights of his professional career by first-round finish.  He currently represents Evolution Athletix based in Saco, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT ADDED TO NEF 50 FIGHT CARD

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 15, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur featherweight bout to the card.  Chris Strout (0-2) will take on Nick Mulrey (1-0) at a fight weight of 145 pounds.

Chris Strout made his amateur MMA debut on a fight card in Massachusetts back in 2010.  He would not return to the cage for his second bout for another twelve years.  Last spring, Strout faced Julian Sirois (1-0) at “NEF 47” in Auburn, Maine.  Strout took Sirois the full three rounds but lost via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.  He will look for the first win of his amateur career on November 12.  Strout currently represents First Class MMA based in Brunswick, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 MAINE FOOTBALL LEGEND PROMISES VIOLENCE IN RETURN TO THE CAGE

[NEF PRESS RELASE]

 Portland, Maine (October 13, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur light heavyweight bout to the card.  Jared Turcotte (1-0) is scheduled to meet Regian Marcus Lourenco Da Silva, Jr. (0-0) at a fight weight of 205 pounds.

 Jared Turcotte will climb into the NEF cage for a second time after an explosive debut at “NEF 48” last July that saw him submit Seth Godfrey (1-1) a mere 35 seconds into the first round.  Turcotte’s athletic prowess came as no surprise to those who followed his days on the football field during his time at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, Maine.  He had an amazing 4,562 yards on offense and 554 tackles on defense.  Turcotte won the Fitzpatrick Trophy award his senior year and was named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year.  He went on to play at the University of Maine at Orono and was inducted into the Auburn-Lewiston Hall of Fame in 2019.  Turcotte currently represents Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based in Lewiston.

📰 NEWS--📰 PARENT AND MAZUMDAR TO THROW DOWN AT NEF 50 IN PORTLAND

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 

Portland, Maine (October 12, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur catchweight bout to the card.  Tyler Parent (1-2) is set to face Neil Mazumdar (2-1-1) at a fight weight of 130 pounds.

 Tyler Parent made his amateur MMA debut last year at “NEF 44” in Milford, New Hampshire in a losing effort against Teddy Politis (2-1).  He returned later that fall at “NEF 45” and picked up his first amateur win with a second-round technical knockout of Randall Hathorn (1-2).  Parent would go on to lose his third fight via unanimous decision at “NEF 47” last spring in a back-and-forth battle with Nate Dorr (2-0).  He will now look to even his record in the upcoming fight with Mazumdar.  Parent represents Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based in Lewiston, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 MITCHELL ON UPCOMING FIGHT WITH HYLTON: ‘FIRST ROUND KNOCKOUT’

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 11, 2022)

Jordan “Iron Man” Mitchell has reached the crossroads in his mixed martial arts career at which he recognizes a trail of missed opportunities in the rear-view mirror but sees enough open highway through the windshield to still reach his professional goals.

With those aspirations on his mind and heart, the journeyman from Indianapolis will travel to a place whose aesthetic charms have always captivated him and stand toe-to-toe in the New England Fights hexagon with a certain 6-foot-6, 245-pound roadblock known as Ras “RasquatchThe Jamaican Shamrock” Hylton.

“I heard about it the other day, and I was pretty excited,” Mitchell said in an interview with Ryan Jarrell on Between Rounds Radio. “I’ve seen Ras before. I’ve watched a couple of his fights. I’ve said his name to a couple of promoters, but they never got in contact with me, so I’ve been looking forward to fighting him for a while.”

Mitchell (10-16) vs. Hylton (8-6) will be the co-main event at NEF 50, slated for Saturday, November 12 at Aura in Portland, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 CRUISERWEIGHT CLASH SET FOR NEF 50 IN PORTLAND

 [NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 11, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur cruiserweight bout to the card.  Cody “Dirty” Dular (1-0) is scheduled to meet Robert Gray (0-0) at a fight weight of 225 pounds.

Cody Dular made his amateur MMA debut last summer at “NEF 48” in Portland.  He defeated Nick McInnis (0-1) via technical knockout just over a minute into the second round.  The fight with Gray will see Dular drop from the heavyweight division down to cruiserweight.  He represents Team Benson.

📰 NEWS--📰 SANDERS ON TITLE FIGHT WITH PIERSMA: “I WANT TO SNATCH HIS SOUL”

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 8, 2022)

In the process of building a docket for its golden milestone of 50 cards to punctuate a 10-year anniversary celebration, New England Fights couldn’t find a more fitting personality to put a face near the top of that poster than “The” Ryan Sanders.

Sanders is the most recurring character in that scintillating series. Despite a 3½-year layoff prior to resurrecting his career this past spring, the Bangor native is preparing for his 20th walk to the NEF mixed martial arts hexagon.

It would normally be labeled a crossroads bout: The 35-year-old veteran Sanders (20-9) against 26-year-old rising star Jonathan “War Hawk” Piersma of Waterville, New York. When those highways intersect Saturday, November 12th at Aura in Portland, Maine, however, Piersma may discover that Sanders’ motor is just now reaching full song.

📰 NEWS--📰 HYLTON TO TAKE ON TOP INDIANA HEAVYWEIGHT AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 Portland, Maine (October 7, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional heavyweight bout to the card.  “The Jamaican Shamrock” Ras “Rasquatch” Hylton (8-6) is scheduled to face Jordan Mitchell (10-16) in the evening’s co-main event.

 Ras Hylton is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career over Cody Lightfoot (6-6) last summer at “NEF 48.”  It took Hylton a mere 13 seconds to knockout Lightfoot in the first round.  It was his second win in a row and also his second finish in a row.  The fight with Mitchell will be Hylton’s first at Aura since he turned Charles Penn, Jr. (0-1) into a bloody mess at “NEF 38” in the spring of 2019.  Hylton is a second-degree black belt in Shotokan karate and a two-fight veteran of the Bellator cage.  He currently represents Dragon Fire Martial Arts in Portland and American Top Team of Tampa, Florida.

 “Glad to welcome another challenger to Vacationland,” exclaimed Hylton. “Don't worry, I see Jordan's a dangerous opponent not to be taken lightly; there's just no world where I let anyone beat me at home again. Learned that lesson! It's been a long time coming, and my change has come. Thanks everyone!”

📰 NEWS--📰 FERREIRA READY TO COME FULL FORCE AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 10, 2022)

Massachusetts mixed martial artist Amanda Ferreira is just about the right age to have learned everything she knows about the circle of life from “The Lion King.” These days, however, Ferreira, 24, receives an object lesson in that concept every time the alarm clock rings.

She’s busy building multiple careers while raising a 3-year-old, Kaiden, who is already every bit the gym rat Ferreira has been since her own childhood. In fact, Kaiden is the exact same age as Amanda when she made her first foray into combat sports.

“I’ve been doing martial arts since I was three,” Ferreira said. “I’m a black belt in Kenpo Karate, so I did that from about three to 13. Then I took up boxing and then kickboxing and then MMA. I don’t think it was planned to happen. I think it just kind of followed in suit.”

📰 NEWS--📰 SANDERS AND PIERSMA WAGE WAR OF WORDS AHEAD OF NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

Portland, Maine (October 3, 2022)

New England Fights’ main event reveal for NEF 50 unveiled a clash of styles, a cavernous gap in age and mixed martial arts experience, and a war of words unlike anything affiliated with the promotion in recent memory.

Bangor, Maine mainstay “The” Ryan Sanders (20-9) is supremely confident, and Rochester, New York’s Jonathan “War Hawk” Piersma (4-1) slightly less jocular and loquacious but equally self-assured, heading into their scrap for the NEF welterweight title Saturday, November 12 at Aura in Portland, Maine.

Sanders highlighted a joint interview with Steve Domenico on “The Room Podcast” by serving up a steady stream of verbal volleys, characterizing Piersma as one-dimensional and inexperienced. The 35-year-old former lightweight champ scoffed at suggestions that the smaller NEF hexagon could play into the hands of a grappler such as his opponent.

“I finish fights, and I guarantee you, I’ll put money on it, he’s shooting within the first minute. I bet you he’s not gonna strike with me,” Sanders said. “It’s definitely geared toward a grappler, but it’s all about footwork and the experience and stuff like that. I’m gonna put hands on him quick, and he’s gonna panic shoot. He doesn’t want to strike. He can’t strike. His striking’s dogshit at best, and he knows it.”

📰 NEWS--📰 GRIMARD LOOKS TO GET BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 

Portland, Maine (October 6, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional catchweight bout to the card.  Nathaniel Grimard will face Darren Gibbs at a fight weight of 150 pounds.

Nathaniel Grimard (2-1) will look to get back on the winning track after suffering his first loss as a professional to Jake Hixenbaugh (2-0) last summer at “NEF 48.”  Grimard had previously defeated Anthony Vasta (1-2) and Andrew Provost (1-1) at “NEF 46” and “NEF 47” respectively to start his pro career.  Prior to that time, Grimard had a solid amateur run that saw him amass a record of 4-1 and capture the NEF Amateur Featherweight Title.  He currently represents Nostos MMA based in Somersworth, New Hampshire.

📰 NEWS--📰 KANGAS WILL CALL IT A CAREER WITH FINAL FIGHT AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE]

 Portland, Maine (October 5, 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.”  Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional catchweight bout to the card.  Justin Kangas (0-0) is scheduled to meet Brian Cosco (0-1) at a fight weight of 165 pounds.

Justin Kangas has made it clear that the fight with Cosco will be his final trip to the MMA cage.  He has chosen to move up to the professional ranks for his swan song after four amateur fights dating back to 2019.  Most recently, Kangas was victorious over Jon Assam (2-4) by split decision earlier this year at “NEF 46.”  He represents First Class MMA based in Brunswick, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 WOMEN’S FIGHT ANNOUNCED FOR NEF 50 IN PORTLAND

[NEF PRESS RELEASE] Portland, Maine (October 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.” Earlier today the fight promotion announced the addition of a women’s amateur catchweight bout to the card. Cassidy Bedard (1-0) will face Amanda Ferreira (0-0) at a fight weight of 140 pounds.

Cassidy Bedard’s MMA debut at “NEF 47” last spring was one of the wildest and most bizarre contests in the promotion’s 10-year history. Bedard took on Michelle MacDavid (0-1) in what looked more like a streetfight than an MMA bout. Bedard got a chunk of her hair pulled out and there were accusations of biting before MacDavid was disqualified for eye gouging. Despite the actions of her opponent, Bedard maintained her composure for three rounds and showcased her skills. She is a member of Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based in Lewiston, Maine.

📰 NEWS--📰 SANDERS & PIERSMA WILL VIE FOR WELTERWEIGHT TITLE AT NEF 50

[NEF PRESS RELEASE] Portland, Maine (September 30, 2022) – New England Fights (NEF) returns to Portland, Maine on Saturday, November 12, 2022, with its next mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event “NEF 50.” Earlier this evening on The Room Podcast with Steve Domenico, the main event was announced. “The” Ryan Sanders (20-9) will face Jonathan “War Hawk” Piersma (4-1) for the vacant NEF Professional Welterweight Championship. Ryan Sanders is no stranger to NEF gold. He is a former NEF Professional Lightweight titleholder. Sanders vacated the title to return to the welterweight division post-pandemic. The 170-pound strap has eluded him to this point in his career. Sanders has tried to capture it on two previous occasions, but came up short both times against Gil de Freitas (18-6).