Lewiston, Maine (January 20, 2015) –New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, presents its sixteenth mixed martial arts (MMA) event, “NEF XVI,” on February 7, 2015 in Lewiston, Maine.  The event is scheduled to originate from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Earlier today, NEF announced the full fight card for the event.   A pair of title fights are scheduled to headline the card which will feature veterans of the National Football League (NFL), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Strikeforce MMA.

 

“This card might just be our most ambitious to date,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo.  “There’s  something here for everyone.  If you like the big guys, we have plenty of heavyweight and super-heavyweight fights.  If you like seeing the UFC and Bellator names, we have them.  If you like wrestlers, they are well represented on this card.  If you like women’s MMA, we have a women’s fight on here.  $25 tickets to a fight card of this caliber is a steal for the fight fan.  NEF continues to bring you the biggest bang for your buck as we open our fourth year of business.”

 

In the main event of the evening, Ray “All Business” Wood (5-0) will defend the NEF MMA Featherweight Title against the challenge of Philadelphia’s Anthony “Cheesesteak” Morrison (16-9). Morrison is a veteran of the Bellator and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) cages.  He will be Wood’s highest-profile challenge to date.  Many insiders predict that Wood could be one or two wins away from getting the call to one of the national promotions himself.

 

The co-main event of the evening will see Tyler King (7-2) defend the NEF MMA Heavyweight Title against Terry “The Polar Bear” Blackburn (5-2).  King is an NFL veteran, having played for the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals after a very successful college career at the University of Connecticut where he recorded 19 sacks as a defensive end, and was named the team’s “Defensive MVP” in 2004.  He appeared on the 19th season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter television series in 2014.  Tyler is the son of Steve King who spent nine years with the New England Patriots as a linebacker during the 1970s and early 1980s.  The challenger, Terry Blackburn, had a highlight-reel knockout victory over Jason Dolloff (6-19) in the NEF MMA cage in September 2013.

 

Ryan Hodge (6-9) will see action against Nah-Shon “The Rock-n-Rolla” Burrell (11-4) in a middleweight feature fight.  Hodge, who lives in Florida but has made a name for himself on the northeast regional fight scene, last appeared in the NEF MMA cage in November 2013.  That night, Hodge had a big knockout win over Josh Watson (7-4).  Burrell is a veteran of the UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce cages.  He has competed a total of nine times on the biggest stages the sport has to offer.

 

“Those three fights on top of this card are worth the price of admission alone,” said NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson.  “All three of those fights are main events on any regional MMA event held on the east coast any night of the week.  And we’re giving them all to the fans in one awesome night of MMA action for one low price of admission.  You can bet your bottom dollar that you will be entertained on February 7, and you won’t have to break the bank to do it.”

 

On the amateur side of the card, Gravin “The Stampede” Guillen(1-1) and 56-year-old Mladin Holman (0-1) will engage in a rematch of their super-heavyweight bout from this past November.  Many fans felt the bout was stopped early by the referee, awarding the victory to Guillen by technical knockout (TKO).  NEF executives listened to fans and quickly arranged the rematch.

 

Also on the amateur card will be two of the three fighting Bang brothers, Sheldon Bang (1-1) and Steven Bang (3-2), along with their debuting father Dr. Steve Bang (0-0).  Dr. Bang is a 46-year-old bariatric surgeon with a background in wrestling.  His four sons, including Sheldon and Steven, have all followed in their father’s footsteps, each wrestling for Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine.

 

The new blood is rising early on the amateur portion of the card when Caleb Hall (5-1) and Josh Harvey (2-1) open the show in what should be an action-packed featherweight bout.  Top prospects Nick Spencer (7-4) and Aaron Lacey (4-1) are scheduled to meet in a catchweight bout.  “Crispy” Michael Crespo(2-0) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) phenomenon Johnny Crafts (2-0) will put their respective unblemished records on the line in a bantamweight contest.  And the women will take to the cage whenHillary Cooledge (0-1) faces Fernanda Araujo (3-3-1).

 

The full fight card for “NEF XVI” (subject to change):

 

PROFESSIONAL

 

145*TITLE Ray Wood 5-0 (Young’s MMA) vs Anthony Morrison 16-9 (Daddis Fight Camps)

265*TITLE Tyler King 7-2 (Connors MMA) vs Terry Blackburn 5-2 (First Coast Full Contact/Team Riot)

185 Nah-Shon Burrell 11-4 (Fight Firm Elite & Renzo Gracie BJJ) vs Ryan Hodge 6-9 (F2 Arena)

265 Mike Hansen 1-1 (Independent) vs Artie Mullen 1-13 (MMA of Southern Maine)

155 Jesse Erickson 3-4 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Frank Falso 0-1 (Team United & Santos BJJ)

145 Derek Shorey 1-1 (Shatterproof Combat Club) vs Jon Lemke 4-3 (Team Irish)

135 Matt Denning 1-0 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Jovan White 1-6 (First Coast Full Contact)

 

 

AMATEUR

 

S.HWT Gravin Guillen 1-1 (Independent) vs Mladen Holman 0-1 (Choi Institute)

265 Brandon Lessard 0-0 (Independent) vs Billy Leahy 1-1 (Young’s MMA)

265 Ryan Glover 0-0 (Independent) vs Jason Field 0-0 (Independent)

205 Chris Perry 0-0 (Acadia BJJ) vs Ruben Redman 0-0 (Independent)

185 Frank Dellasala 0-1 (Choi Institute) vs Heath Hanson 0-1 (3Ronin Athletics)

185 Jacob Cameron 1-4 (Team Nitemare) vs Nick Shea 0-0 (First Class MMA)

185 Joe Staples 0-0 (Team Irish) vs Raymond Harrison 0-0 (Independent)

180 Caleb Farrington 1-0 (Team NEU) vs Brandon Russell 0-0 (Independent)

166 CJ Ewer 3-1 (Young’s MMA) vs Jakub Kazuba 1-0 (First Coast Full Contact)

155 Dr. Steve Bang 0-0 Sr. (CMBJJ) vs Matthew Hanning 0-0 (Independent)

155 Steve Bang Jr. 3-2 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Jason LaChance 0-1 (MMA Athletix)

155 Ricky Dexter 1-0 (Team Irish) vs Corey Trial 0-0 (Ruthless Boxing & MMA)

155 Rick Matthews 0-1 (Team Irish) vs Emmett Huber 0-0 (The Academy)

145 Caleb Hall 5-1 (Choi Institute) vs Josh Harvey 2-1 (Young’s MMA)

145 Jimmy Jackson 1-2 (Young’s MMA) vs Kris Welch 0-0 (Independent)

145 Henry Clark 1-0 (Choi Institute) vs Mike Peitersen 1-0 (Young’s MMA)

140 Nick Spencer 7-4 (Choi Institute) vs Aaron Lacey 4-1 (Young’s MMA)

141 Rob Kiah 0-0 (Young’s MMA) vs Clifford Redman 0-0 (Independent)

140 Bryant Orick 3-5 (Ruthless Boxing & MMA) vs Fred Lear 2-0 (Young’s MMA)

135 Johnny Crafts 2-0 (Team NEU) vs Mike Crespo 2-0 (MMA Athletix)

135 Fernanda Araujo 3-3-1 (Defensive Edge) vs Hillary Cooledge 0-1 (Choi Institute)

125 Dustin Veinott 2-3 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs Dave Brown 1-1 (White Mountain BJJ)

135 Sheldon Bang 1-1 (CMBJJ-Team NEU) vs TBD

 

Tickets for “NEF XVI” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

Lewiston, Maine (January 16, 2015) –New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, presents its sixteenth mixed martial arts (MMA) event, “NEF XVI,” on February 7, 2015 in Lewiston, Maine.  The event is scheduled to originate from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of three more bouts to the fight card including a professional heavyweight bout between Mike “Dragon Foot” Hansen (1-1) and Artie “The Fearless One” Mullen (1-13); an amateur heavyweight bout between Ryan Glover (0-0) and Jason Field (0-0); and an amateur featherweight bout between Jimmy Jackson (1-2) and Kris Welch (0-0).  Hansen, Glover and Welch are all former wrestling champions from Mountain Valley High School located in Rumford, Maine.

 

Mike Hansen won a state championship as a heavyweight wrestler for Mountain Valley in 2004. After graduating high school that same year, Hansen began training and competing in the sport of mixed martial arts. Hansen made his successful MMA debut in 2005 when he defeated Eric Brown (5-7) via submission in the first round. Shortly thereafter, Hansen enlisted in the Army where he served as a Combat Engineer. Now retired from the Army, Hansen, who recently signed a long-term contract with NEF MMA, is excited to return to his competitive roots in the NEF cage on February 7^thand to represent his hometown.

 

“Rumford-Mexico, especially MVHS [Mountain Valley High School], and Dixfield—we’re all a proud, hardworking breed of people. It is my responsibility and others to go out and show what we are capable of,” said Hansen when reached for comment. “Be true to our region. We are an athletic community and always have been. I will show up [on February 7^th] and do my best and I will win.

 

“Wrestling has played a huge role in my fighting career, but even more so was wrestling here in Rumford, Maine. My first wrestling coach was Jamie Dolloff, then Jason Dolloff, then Gary Dolloff—notice a pattern? I owe a lot to these guys and so doesn’t the area. Wrestling for the Dolloff’s created a foundation for fighting and life. Without wrestling, there is no way I would be where I am or have done the things I’ve done.

 

“Fighting next to local boys always gets me excited. Knowing that MVHS will have some state champions in the cage that night is awesome.”

 

Kris Welch won back-to-back state championships for Mountain Valley in 2000 and 2001 and amassed a high school career record of 120-17. Now, Welch is focused on making his MMA debut and representing his community in combat sports.

 

“I want to put on a good show for my town, family, and friends,” said Welch when reached for comment. “We have a great community here in Rumford-Mexico and they do a great job supporting local fighters. Having a solid wrestling background will play a key role in my transition to MMA. Taking your opponent down is a big part of this sport. It feels great to compete on the same card as Ryan Glover and Mike Hansen and getting a chance to work with these guys has been great. This area has a lot of unseen talent that will be delivered to the cage on February 7^th.”

 

Ryan Glover was a state runner-up in wrestling in 2010 before winning a state championship as a heavyweight in 2011 for Mountain Valley High School, where he was also a standout football player and named the “2010 Sun Journal Football Player of the Year.” The two-sport state champion athlete has now turned his attention toward the sport of MMA and plans on making a name for himself in NEF.

 

“[Fighting for NEF] is a great opportunity and I’m hoping it opens some eyes and brings more fighters to the area to train with us,” stated Glover when reached for comment. “My wrestling background has helped me with my ground game and left me more time to brush-up on my boxing.”

 

“Our Matchmaker, Matt Peterson, attends wrestling tournaments across Maine and New England on a regular basis scouting for new talent,” stated NEF promoter and co-owner Nick DiSalvo. “We’re proud to feature such a compelling set of matchups between some familiar faces and new names to NEF and are confident these bouts will deliver extreme excitement.”

 

NEF’s next MMA event, “NEF XVI,” takes place on February 7, 2015with an all-star lineup of fights scheduled.  Ray “All Business” Wood (5-0) returns that night to defend the NEF MMA Featherweight Title against Bellator and WEC veteran Anthony “Cheesesteak” Morrison (16-9).  NFL and UFC The Ultimate Fighter veteran Tyler King (7-2) puts the NEF MMA Heavyweight Title on the line against Terry “The Polar Bear” Blackburn (5-2).  In the feature bout of the evening, UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Nah-Shon Burrell (10-5) makes his NEF MMA debut against Ryan Hodge (6-9).  Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

 

About New England Fights

 

New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.