Lewiston, Maine (Junie 10, 2015) - New England Fights (NEF), Amerika se nommer een plaaslike stryd bevordering, sal sy agtiende gemengde martial arts-hou (Plaasmoorde) gebeurtenis, “NEF XVIII: In Amerika gemaak,” Saterdag nag, Junie 13, 2015 by die Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. Onlangs, headliners Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (10-8), die NEF MMA Professionele liggewigkampioen, en John “First Class” Ray(2-7) aangesluit NEF mede-eienaar en Match Matt Peterson op 'n spesiale “Kop-aan-kop” edition of the NEF Podcast. Boyington and Raio discussed the upcoming rematch and the controversy surrounding their first meeting in February 2014, onder ander onderwerpe.

The interview quickly turned to the top of the first fight. Raio appeared to apply a rear-naked choke to Boyington on the mat late in the first round. Boyington began waving his hand in the air and referee Jimmy Bickford quickly stepped in to stop the fight. Much has been made of the infamous “hand golf.” While Bickford saw it as a sign of Boyington’s submission, Boyington het aangevoer dat hy bloot sein aan sy ondersteuners in die skare wat die houvas nie doen enige skade.

“Ek kan jou vertel hoe daardie nag geëindig,” recalled Raio of the first bout. “Basies, Bruce had given me his back. When I took his back, I had the hooks in and I had the rear-naked choke across his jaw line. I was trying to pressure it under his throat, en as ek gryp my linker Bicep en my linkerhand gaan agter sy kop, die ref gestop die stryd… Ek was verbaas dat hy as gevolg het geput, eerlik, Ek het geweet dat ek 'n baie druk op sy kakebeen… As in die feit is hy waai, wat suig vir hom.”

“In daardie situasie, Ek het spesifiek onthou Bickford na my, Ek is in die gesig staar up, hy gaan vir my nek en ek waai,” Said Boyington. “Almal begin dreun real hard en ek onthou Bickford sê, "Geen Bruce, jy kan nie sê dat '… As jy dink dat ek die indiening of ek is in die moeilikheid is of kan nie asemhaal, you don’t tell the fighter, “Jy kan nie sê dat,” you just jump in and you stop the fight. I feel like he made a mistake. I feel like he realizes that… Ek sien 'n baie verskillende dinge wat John online gesê, en 'n baie van die dinge wat ander mense gesê het, and that’s when I really started to get bothered by what had happened. I felt like he could’ve handled it better.”

Voor Boyington gee sy rug, many felt he had been winning that first round. Inderdaad, Boyington’s striking seemed to be on point that evening. Peterson asked both competitors to speculate on what would have happened had the referee not stopped the bout at that point.

“Onvermydelik, Ek dink John sou gewees het uitgeslaan,” stated Boyington emphatically. “Ek dink nie ek gaan dien hom, because that would be his best chance with me. He’s strong enough to defend a submission.”

“Ek dink as die ref het nie ophou by die tyd, toe ek op sy kakebeen met my voorarm en ek was agter op sy nek,” Ray bespiegel, “I believe my arm would’ve slid under his throat and it would’ve ended sometime soon before the round. So, Ek dink nie dit weg sou het om 'n tweede ronde.”

In die dae, weke en maande na die stryd, both Boyington’s and Raio’s massive fan-followings have been very vocal on social media regarding the outcome of the bout. The heated debate has raged between both sides for well over a year now. With so much at stake for each side at “NEF XVIII,” beide atlete aangeraak wat die rematch vir hulle beteken, en wat hulle nodig het om die komende naweek bewys.

“Ek kan net nie daar gaan in en klop John,” Said Boyington. “Selfs sy eie ondersteuners verwag dat… Ek kan nie net daar gaan op 13 Junieand beat John Raio. I gotta go in there and destroy him. Or I still lose out on this fight. Ek weet dat, and I’m gonna go in there and make that statement. And I’m gonna do it with one arm, omdat die ander arm is nie, selfs nou werk… I haven’t worried about this date from day one. It’s nothing to do with John Raio. I don’t disrespect the guy. I don’t not like the guy. He’s a good man. I’m just at another level. I need to show up and prove that. That’s what it is to me. It’s not about me beating John. It’s about me showing everybody where I belong.”

“In verband met Bruce vinnig afwerking my, en maak dit maklik, en nie regtig bekommerd oor die stryd te veel, Ek vind dit net respek soos 'n baie van die dinge wat hy het vir my gesê, my familie en my vriende,” replied Raio. “Daar was tye na die laaste stryd wanneer mense my is geluk (op Facebook) and he’d go on like a one or two paragraph rant on every single comment everyone had put on my page for like three days straight. So, nadat ek gesê: "Bruce en ek is nie regtig vriende nie,’ so I deleted him. I liked him before that fight… maar wanneer mense disrespek my soos hy dit is moeilik om die man wil.”

Die NEF Podcast te luister in sy geheel, besoekwww.NewEnglandFights.com/Podcasts/.

Vir meer inligting oor John Raio se gym leer, besoek “First Class Fiksheid en MMA” op Facebook. Likewise, om meer oor Boyington se Taekwondo Academy leer, besoek gerus hulle webwerfwww.BoyingtonsTKDA.com.

Kaartjies vir “NEF XVIII: In Amerika gemaak” begin by net $25 en is nou te koop by www.TheColisee.com of deur die Colisee loket by 207.783.2009 x 525. Vir meer inligting oor die geleentheid en stryd kaart updates, Besoek gerus die bevordering se webwerf by www.NewEnglandFights.com. Daarbenewens, jy NEF videos kan kyk op www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, volg hulle op Twitternefights en sluit aan by die amptelike Facebook-groep "New England gevegte."

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New England Fights ("NEF") is 'n stryd gebeure promosies maatskappy. NEF se missie is om die hoogste gehalte gebeure vir Maine se vegters en fans te skep. NEF se uitvoerende span het uitgebreide ondervinding in 'n geveg sport bestuur, gebeure produksie, media verhoudings, bemarking, wetlike en advertensies.