Portland, Maine (February 9, 2018) - New Ingarangi whawhai (Nef) returns to Aura in Portland onApril 14, 2018 ki hui whakauru-hōia-toi i muri o te whakatairanga whawhai, “Nef 33: Riptide.” I mua i teie mahana, NEF announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the card. Pire Jones (12-10) Kei te whakaritea ki te whakatau Matt Denning (5-7) i te taimaha o te 155-pauna whawhai.
Having begun competing in MMA back in 2007, Bill Jones is one of the longest-active fighters on the New England regional scene. His list of opponents over the years reads like a “ko wai te nei” of local featherweights and lightweights. He holds wins over some of the best the region has to offer like UFC veteran Tateki Matsuda (13-8) and current UFC competitor Matt Bessette (22-8). Te nuinga tata, Jones competed on the national stage at World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 35 last spring in New York. Jones is currently a member of Nostos MMA based in Somersworth, New Hampshire. “NEF 33″ will be Jones’ long-awaited first appearance in the NEF cage.
“I’m excited to finally make my NEF debut and face Matt Denning, a fight I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Jones. “My health is at a new level since I stopped smoking. I feel refreshed and ready to put on my best performance to date against an opponent that I’m looking to dismantle in impressive fashion. Everyone knows not to sleep on me. I made my mark in the regional scene a long time age – a April 14th will be the next chapter in that story. Let’s get after it!"
Including his amateur career, Matt “Ken Doll” Denning is a fifteen-fight veteran of the NEF cage. He is on a two-fight win-streak in that cage with first-round submission victories over Josh Parker (6-10) i “NEF 28” and Dom Jones (1-1) i “NEF 29.” Like Jones, Denning is a veteran of the WSOF cage, having competed for the national promotion at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Te nuinga tata, Denning fought for national promotion Bellator in Connecticut. He is a member of Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) based in Lewiston, Maine.
“I’m excited to fight for NEF again,” Na ka mea a Denning. “The last two times I fought for them, I had first round submission wins. Bill is a veteran and someone that I’ve tried to fight for a while. I muri i tenei whawhai, I don’t expect to be as active as I have been in the past. I want to focus on my job, Hollie and Becca. I look forward to a great showing and seeing all my fans.”
NEF returns to Portland, Maine, at Aura on Rāhoroi, April 14, 2018. He tīkiti i runga i te hoko inaianei i www.AuraMaine.com. For more information on the event, tirohia www.NewEnglandFights.com.