Lewiston, Maine (March 31, 2016) - New England ho loana ka (NEF), Amerika oa nomoro ya-e mong o lebatowa ntoa ntshetsopele, tla ahlola hlahlamang ketsahalo, “NEF 22: Litsela tsohle LEBISANG MONA” ka Moqebelo, April 23, 2016 a le Androscoggin Bank Colisée a Lewiston, Maine. The fight card will feature a mix of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Pele ho moo kajeno, NEF announced the full fight card for the event. The fight card is scheduled to feature three professional boxing matches, six professional MMA bouts, and twelve exciting amateur MMA contests.
On the professional boxing side of the card, Northeast Junior Welterweight Champion, and the pride of West Forks, Maine, Brandon “The Cannon” Berry(11-1, 7 Kos) returns to the ring for a six-rounder with Detroit, Michigan’s James Lester (10-9, 4 Kos). Berry, one of the most popular boxers to ever come out of Maine, will look for his fourth consecutive victory since returning from a shoulder injury last year.
That will prove easier said than done with Lester standing in the opposite corner. Lester is a product of the world-famous Kronk Gym in Detroit where world champions like Thomas “Hitman” Hearns (61-5-1, 48 Kos), Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 Kos), Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 Kos) and Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 Kos) have trained under the late Emmanuel Steward. Lester was ranked number-two nationally as an amateur. He presents a dangerous threat to Berry, one that could very well play the role of “mosenyi” ho “The Cannon” and his legion of fans.
After a bloody war of a professional boxing debut at “NEF 21” khoeling e fetileng, NEF MMA regular Crowsneck Boutin (0-0-1) will once again step into the boxing ring, this time facing Brandon Montella (3-0, 2 Kos). Montella, now a resident of Massachusetts, grew up in Maine and served in the United States Marine Corps.
Headlining the professional MMA portion of the fight card will be Jese “The Viking” Erickson (6-4) le Devin Powell (5-1) in a lightweight contest. Both fighters are currently on a three-fight win streak.
“I try to focus on what is right in front of me,” said Erickson during a recent interview on The MMA Report Podcast. “I never looked past my opponents but I like to think what the reward is going to be when I beat this guy.”
Neither athlete can afford to overlook the other, but a win for either could very well mean a call from one of the national promotions. Erickson has been there before with Bellator. Powell is an all-around talent with some slick finishes to his credit.
“This is the type of MMA fight we absolutely love,” a re NEF sebedisana mong'a le a ntsetsa pele Nick DiSalvo. “You have two guys who match up so well. They’ve both been racking up the wins. They’ve faced some of the same opponents. They’re both solid on the mat and on their feet. I expect this to be yet another crazy, wild NEF MMA main event!”
“Crazy” le “wild” do not even begin to describe the grudge that has developed between Josh “Hook On” Harvey (0-0) le Mat “Ken Doll” Denning (2-1). The bitter rivals will meet at a fight weight of 150-pounds at “NEF 22” in an MMA bout. The bout will be Harvey’s professional debut after a stellar 5-1 amateur career that saw him capture the NEF MMA Amateur Lightweight Title, as well as the northeast regions number-one ranking. The well-publicized personal issues between Harvey and Denning will be settled in the cage on April 23rd.
The professional portion of the MMA card will also feature the pro debut of Harvey’s Young’s MMA teammate Arone ba “Khaotseng” Lacey (0-0) as he takes on veteran “Shatterproof 2.0” Derek Shorey (3-5) ka featherweight bout. Lacey vacated the NEF MMA Amateur Featherweight Title in order to turn professional.
That title will not stay vacant very long as Kaleb Hall (6-3) le Erik Nelson (2-2) face off to determine a new champion at the top of the amateur MMA card. Hall is coming off a first-round submission win at “NEF XX” ho qetela ho oa, while Nelson recently picked up a unanimous decision victory at “NEF 21.”
The amateur MMA card will also feature a women’s fight between Angela Young(0-1) le “Hollywood” Hannah Sparrell (1-0). Young and Sparrell made their respective debuts last year at “NEF XIX.”
The full “NEF 22” ntoa karete (taba ho fetola le ho amoheloa ke ea Combat Sports Matla a Maine):
Setsebi papali ea litebele
175 Crowsneck Boutin 0-0-1 (Choi) vs Brandon Montella 3-0 (The Way)
140 Brandon Berry 11-1 (West Forks) vs James Lester 10-9 (Kronk)
140 Josh Parker 0-2-1 (Sehlōhō) vs Evincii Dixon 7-13-1 (Lancaster)
Setsebi MMA
205 Mike Hansen 3-3 (Berserkers) vs. Jesse Baughman 0-1 (Link)
170 Jarod Lawton 4-2 (Lawton/NEU) vs Aaron Aschendorf 2-2 (ABCC)
155 Devin Powell 5-1 (Nostos) vs Jesse Erickson 6-4 (CMBJJ)
150 Josh Harvey 0-0 (Young’s) vs. Matt Denning 2-1 (CMBJJ)
155 Zenon Herrera 0-3 (Ikemetseng) vs. Tollison Lewis 0-5 (CMBJJ)
145 Arone ba Lacey 0-0 (Young’s) vs. Derek Shorey 3-5 (Shatterproof)
Tsenwe MMA
145 *Title Kaleb Hall 6-3 (Choi) vs Erik Nelson 2-2 (CMBJJ)
265 Dave Smith 2-1 (Berserkers) vs Nick Gulliver 2-0 (Pele Class)
265 Matt Glover 1-0 (Berserkers) vs Ras Hylton 1-0 (Pele Class)
265 Joe Krech 0-1 (Berserkers) vs Bryce Bamford 1-0 (Pele Class)
185 Anthony Spires 0-1 (Ikemetseng) vs. Mike Williams 1-1 (CMBJJ)
170 John Hansen 0-0 (Berserkers) vs Alex Payson 1-0 (Pele Class)
155 Ken Dunn 0-3 (The. ME Budo Arts) vs Frank Johanson 0-1 (CMBJJ)
150 Cory Trial 1-2 (Sehlōhō) vs Jeremy Tyler 4-3 (Team Irish)
145 Johnny Crafts 4-0 (NEW) vs Taylor Costantino 2-1 (Team Irish PTC)
145 Glenn Kasabian 0-0 (Choi) vs Matt Marshall 2-5 (MMA Athletix)
140 Angela Young 0-1 (Young’s) vs. Hannah Sparrell 1-0 (Pele Class)
125 Jake Denham 1-0 (Lawton BJJ) vs Ryan Daley 0-2 (Team Irish)
New England ho loana 'ketsahalo e latelang, "NEF 22: Litsela tsohle LEBISANG MONA,"Etsahala Moqebelo, April 23, 2016 a le Androscoggin Bank Colisée a Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 'me li ka Sale hona joale ka www.TheColisee.com kapa ka bitsa ea Colisée lebokose le reng ofisi ea 207.783.2009 X 525. Bakeng sa boitsebiso bo eketsehileng ka ketsahalo le ho loana karete ya diapdeite, ka kōpo etela ntshetsopele oa setsheng sa inthanete sa www.NewEnglandFights.com. Holim'a moo, o ka shebella NEF livideo ka www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, latela ba ba ka Twitternefights le ho ba setho ya semmuso ya Facebook sehlopha "New England loana."