Lewiston, Maine (September 3, 2015) - New England Fights (NEF), Amerikas nummer et regional kamp forfremmelse, vil holde sine nittende blandede martial-arts (MMA) begivenhed, “NEF XIX,” på lørdag, September 12, 2015 på Androscoggin Bank Colisée i Lewiston, Maine. The fight card will feature three members of First Class MMA in action that night. Hannah Sparrell (0-0), Rafael Velado (0-0) og Nick Shea (1-0) fra Brunswick, Maine-based gym. Nylig, First Class MMA grundlægger og cheftræner John “First Class” Ray sluttede NEF medejer og matchmaker Matt Peterson som gæst på NEF Podcast.
Dette tidligere juni, 38-year-old Raio retired after competing in the NEF cage for some three-and-a-half years. Raio now concentrates on training the members of his First Class MMA gym, herunder udarbejdelse Sparrell, Velado og Shea for deres kommende anfald.
“Jeg kan helt sikkert sætte en masse mere tid i mine krigere såvel som min familie,” Said Ray. “De krigere, I can put a lot more time into them because it’s not all about me. When you’re fighting, når du træner for en kamp, uanset hvor meget du prøver at fokusere på Nick Shea eller Nick Gully eller Hannah Sparrell eller Rafael eller nogen af vores krigere, du kan ikke rigtig sætte 100% effort into a fighter when you really focus on your own fight. It’s tough splitting between their fight and your fight and your job, din familie og dine børn.”
Siden fødslen af NEF i begyndelsen 2012, og den efterfølgende eksplosion af sportens popularitet i staten, mange nye fitnesscentre er dukket op i de seneste år, including First Class MMA. Raio enjoys, mere end noget andet, den stramme-strik, familie-lignende atmosfære, der har udviklet sig på anlægget, da han åbnede gymnastiksalen.
“Den største ting jeg kan lide ved vores træningscenter, Jeg nyder at gå og være en del af, er der en meget ydmyg gruppe af studerende og undervisere,” noted Raio. “Everyone who teaches in there is about the fighters. It’s about the students. They’re not about themselves. They’re more about trying to help people get better. Whether they’re a fighter or a teacher, we have a few teachers who go there and we have several women students and several children and adults. It’s a real good mix and very much a family atmosphere. We rarely lose a student.”
Den “First Class” moniker is not merely a nickname given to Raio because of his past job with the postal service. Early on in his MMA career, Raio fortjent ry for en respektfuld, classy, professionelle, sympatiske person, hence the pun in his nickname. Those same qualities have carried over to the students of First Class MMA.
“Jeg forsøger at behandle alle lige,” Said Ray. “I try to treat everyone respectfully. I think a lot of those guys (på gym), på tur, treat each other respectfully. If I ever have an issue with a student, hvis de ikke er handler respektfuldt til de instruktører eller de andre elever, I’ll pull them aside and if they have to leave then they have to leave. That’s part of life… Vores motionscenter tiltrækker, anden grund, folk, der er bare søde mennesker.”
Med flere og flere nye studerende kommer gennem hans gym dør, Raio has definitely kept busy since his retirement from active competition. Like a proud father, Raio has a real passion for the success of his students. The ultimate reward for him is seeing his protégées do well in the cage.
“Efter den sidste show (NEF XVIII), da jeg så Nick (Gulliver, 1-0) have sin arm hævet og Rob (Robinson, 1-0), Jeg var så glad for de fyre,” recalled Raio. “I’m so happy to see these two guys win. As much as I didn’t come away with a win against Bruce (Boyington, 10-8), Jeg sagde "hvis vi går 2-1, I’d rather be the one that didn’t pull off the victory.’ I’ve never been as happy for my own win than I was for Nick and Rob that night.”
Hvis du vil vide mere om First Class MMA, du kan besøge holdets Facebook-side “First Class Fitness & MMA.”
Du kan lytte til NEF Podcast i sin helhed påwww.NewEnglandFights.com/Podcasts/.
New England Fights’ næste arrangement, “NEF XIX,” finder sted på Lørdag, September 12, 2015 på Androscoggin Bank Colisée i Lewiston, Maine. Billetter til “NEF XIX” starter ved kun $25 og er der tilbud nu på www.TheColisee.com eller ved at ringe til Colisee box office på 207.783.2009 x 525. For mere information om begivenheden og kampen kort opdateringer, besøg fremme hjemmeside på www.NewEnglandFights.com. Desuden, du kan se NEF videoer på www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, følge dem på Twitternefights og slutte den officielle Facebook-gruppe "New England Fights."
Om New England Fights
New England Fights ("NEF") er en kamp Events kampagner selskab. NEF mission er at skabe den højeste kvalitet begivenheder for Maine krigere og fans. NEF udøvende team har stor erfaring i kamp sport management, begivenheder produktion, medierelationer, markedsføring, juridiske og reklame.