FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (December 13, 2019) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its next mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction,” on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur flyweight fight to the card. Caleb “Dr. Feelgood” Austin(3-0) will meet Dillon Henry (0-3) at a fight weight of 125 pounds.
Undefeated Caleb Austin returned to NEF this past fall after more than two years. It took Austin just over a minute to pound out a victory over Cory Richards (0-1) at “NEF 40” in September. In November, Austin went into the second round with Ryan Fogg (0-1) before picking up another technical knockout win. With current amateur flyweight champion Nate Boucher (6-3) turning pro at “NEF 42,” Austin will be considered one of the top contenders to the vacant strap should he get past Henry.
Success in athletics is nothing new to Caleb Austin. He put together an impressive record of 208-11 wrestling for Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine and won state titles at 126 pounds his junior and senior years. The Lewiston Sun Journal named Austin the “Wrestler of the Year” in 2017. After graduation, Austin continued wrestling while attending the University of Southern Maine. He currently represents Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) of Lewiston, Maine.
“The amount of support that I’ve received since September when I made my return to the MMA cage has been humbling,” said Austin. “I’m in the gym and running every single day with February on my mind. Going 2-0 this fall season was great, but I’ve got bigger things in front of me for 2020. I will win the NEF Flyweight Championship next year and Dillon Henry is just the next obstacle in front of me on my way toward that goal. I want to win more quickly and more cleanly every time I get in the cage. It’s an honor every time I get to fight in front of the NEF fans—and I can’t wait to do it again at the Merrill Auditorium on February 8th.”
Dillon Henry comes to the cage on February 8 looking for the first win of his amateur career. Henry debuted last February against the aforementioned Nate Boucher who already had six fights under his belt at the time. This past September Henry competed against Stephen Desjardins who came into that bout as a seven-fight veteran. Henry was getting the upper hand against Desjardins until he dislocated his own shoulder throwing a punch in the first round. He currently represents First Class MMA of Brunswick, Maine.
“I was going say a lot, but life can take unexpected turns and you start fighting for new reasons,” said Henry. “I look forward to February 8th, enough said.”
“A fighter is more than his record and Dillon Henry is a great example of that,” noted NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Dillon is always taking tough fights with the goal of getting better as an amateur so that he can eventually make his mark as a pro. Caleb is his next challenge and I’m certain that Dillon will bring the fight and make this a fun one for us as fans. Caleb came in quickly made an impact over the fall season. Can he continue his undefeated streak to start off a new year and a new decade? We’ll find out February 8th.”
New England Fights’ next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction,” will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Tickets are on sale now at www.PortTix.com.
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 fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.