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分類存檔: 業餘MMA
AGE IS NOTHING BUT A NUMBER IN LEWISTON TITLE FIGHT
即時發布: 路易斯頓, 緬因 (六月 12, 2017) – There are wink-and-nudge undertones when 38-year-old Rafael Velado declares “I’m the young guy, for once” as he contemplates his New England Fights amateur lightweight title defense on 星期六, 六月 17. Then again, he is, by nearly a decade-and-a-half.
It’s a disservice to label hall of fame competitor and coach Pat Kelly a sentimental favorite in his quest to win the 155-pound strap. Yet the 52-year-old assuredly is, as evidenced by at least one internet poll that shows him as the clear people’s choice to win the fight.
Velado vs. Kelly is a bundle of contradictions, an intriguing mix of styles, perhaps even a pairing that defies logic. It’s certainly a spotlight neither man would have predicted for himself five years ago. It’s also a clash of undefeated warriors that promises to rock the house at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.
“You can buy a ticket for this fight, but I truly believe you’re only going to need the edge of your seat,” Kelly, an amateur wrestling legend from the Camden-Rockport region. “I think we’re going to light the place up.”
“Everybody seems excited, and wouldn’t that be a cool story? If I end up saying later on, ‘I fought a guy when he was 52, and he beat my butt,’ the moral of the story is don’t ever count anybody out,” Velado said.
Just to clarify, Velado (4-0) doesn’t expect that to happen. A black belt in jiu-jitsu fighting out of First Class MMA of Brunswick, he looks to extend his winning streak over fighters from Young’s MMA of Bangor.
Velado claimed the vacant crown with a first-round demolition of Jimmy Jackson last September. 在此之前, Mike Peitersen took Velado the distance in his toughest test to date.
“It makes sense from a record standpoint, but I’ve fought four times since the last time Pat did, and two of those were against his training partners,” Velado said. “If you look at strength of opposition, I don’t know that it’s that close. I’m not saying that means it won’t be a good match. I just don’t think it’s very comparable. But we all know the MMA magic can happen.”
Due to lengthy rehabilitation from a knee injury, 黃綠色 (3-0) hasn’t fought since June 15, 2015 at “NEF 18: 美國製造,” when he won by technical knockout over Steve Bang Sr. He beat Bang’s son and namesake in the same manner and also defeated Frank Dellasala in his debut, which came at welterweight.
The champion wrestler (University of Maine) and coach (Camden Hills High School, where he mentored now-UFC star Tim Boetsch) weighed in at over 200 pounds before he began the three-hour round trip to and from Bangor, four times each week.
“I’m an amateur’s amateur,” Kelly said. “I got into this four years ago to stay in shape, make contacts, make new friends and enjoy the experience. When they asked me if I’d like to try getting in the cage, 這是, ‘Yeah, I’ll give that a shot.’
Kelly said he was welcomed with open arms, then “beaten to a pulp,” by the likes of Bruce Boyington, Ryan Sanders and Aaron Lacey – all accomplished pro fighters from the Bangor gym.
It wasn’t long, predictably, before he fell in love with the concepts of competition and self-discipline all over again.
“There’s a bold truth to this sport,” Kelly said. “It’s one-on-one, locked in a cage with the other guy, and what are you going to do to survive? I love that feeling.”
Conventional wisdom dictates that the fight will go to the ground quickly. Then it’s a case of which fighter can assert his will and expertise.
Velado doesn’t lack for training partners who test his mettle every day. Six of them are scheduled to appear in the same cage at NEF 29. First Class owner John Raio also mirrors Kelly in terms of size and decorated wrestling background.
“Pat and I have been in (格鬥運動) a long time. We’ve both won against some excellent people and some not-so-excellent people,” Velado said. “The road to winning against me, a guy has to be better in two disciplines and also have a better game plan.”
Interesting choice of words, when you consider Kelly’s admission that he is more inclined to fly by the seat of his pants.
“My coaches talk about a game plan, but I don’t know if I’m a game plan kind of guy. I go right back to how I know to survive. That’s the warrior in me,” Kelly said. “What you have are two guys who are not going to give up. I think that’s part of the interest. That’s what makes it a good fight.
“Raf is experienced,” he continued. “He’s undefeated. He’s the champion. I’m the old guy coming in and trying to knock him off. There are a number of parallels that make this a fascinating fight.”
The combatants’ thoughtful words in separate interviews even followed the same wavelength.
Velado graciously said he understands the fans’ desire to see Kelly keep turning back time, extend his own record as the oldest winner in NEF history and add the distinction of oldest champion to that list.
“I actually am a fan of Pat,” Velado said. “The MMA fan in me is rooting for him. I’d like to see him have whatever level of success is just short of winning. Mentally it wouldn’t wreck me if I lost the fight.”
Likewise, Kelly is prepared for the possibility that the outcome won’t go his way.
“I don’t ever train to lose, but often times winning comes in unique ways,“他說，.
If his four children perceive the merits of his commitment to MMA as more than a midlife crisis, Kelly believes he has already won the greatest battle of all.
“Yes, of course you want to win, but I also want them to see that when you have a personal goal, you can’t just say you want it. You have to go get it,“他說，. “When I spend all that time driving back and forth, whether I’m talking to myself to thinking or listening to music, most of the time when I’m chasing this thing, I’m on my own. And I know my kids and students can see that.”
該 六月 17 card tentatively features four professional MMA fights, four pro boxing matches, and seven amateur skirmishes in the cage. Tickets to “NEF 29: Stars & Stripes” start at $25 並且可通過調用 (207) 783-2009 分機. 525 或 thecolisee.com.
有關事件，並拼牌更新的詳細信息, 請訪問推廣的網站 www.NewEnglandFights.com. 此外, 你可以在觀看視頻NEF www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “新英格蘭戰鬥.”
關於新英格蘭戰鬥
新英格蘭戰鬥 (“NEF”) 是打架事件推廣公司. NEF的使命是創造緬因州的戰鬥機和球迷的一致好評最高的質量事件. NEF的執行團隊在作戰體育管理方面擁有豐富的經驗, 生產活動, 媒體關係, 市場營銷, 法律和廣告.
RELEVENT SPORTS AND COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCE GROUNDBREAKING PARTNERSHIP FOR “COMBATE CLASICO” ON THURSDAY, JULY 27
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Mayhem in Mesquite XI this Saturday! 門票開始只是 $11
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WOMEN’S FIGHT AT NEF 29 IS A MATTER OF RESPECT
即時發布: 路易斯頓, 緬因 (五月 9, 2017) - “I wanna knock her out!” Those were the emphatic words of 亞歷克斯·沃克 (3-1) when asked last weekend at “NEF 28” for her prediction on her upcoming fight with 薩拉·奇目 (1-0). The crowd at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee erupted in response.
Walker and Ziehm are scheduled to face off when New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Colisee on星期六, 六月 17, 2017 with the fight promotion’s next event, “NEF 29: STARS & STRIPES.” Walker, a two-fight veteran of the NEF cage and a member of Lancaster, New Hampshire’s Team Kaze, has made it her mission to teach Ziehm a lesson in respect for what Walker viewed as a “cocky” performance in Ziehm’s debut earlier this year.
“I have respect for 99% of the females I do battle with, but I do not respect her,” said Walker when reached for comment. “I don’t like the way she handled herself in her first fight, I think she needs to be humbled and I will do that in June – if she even shows up! My manager told (NEF matchmaker) Matt Peterson to have a backup because she will come up with an excuse not to get a beating.”
Ziehm made her MMA debut last February with a win over Nicole Burgess (0-2). She submitted Burgess in the third round after a dominant performance. (值得注意的, Walker also submitted Burgess in the third round just a few months earlier.) Ziehm trains with Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) 在路易斯頓.
“This will be a good battle,” predicted Ziehm. “Alex is a seasoned and skilled warrior. I’m not underestimating her at all. I’m excited to get back into cage and do some work.”
New England Fights returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with its next event, “NEF 29: STARS & STRIPES,” 週六, 六月 17, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at the Colisee box office 207-783-2009 X 525 並在網上 www.TheColisee.com.
有關事件，並拼牌更新的詳細信息, 請訪問推廣的網站 www.NewEnglandFights.com. 此外, 你可以在觀看視頻NEF www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “新英格蘭戰鬥.”
關於新英格蘭戰鬥
新英格蘭戰鬥 (“NEF”) 是打架事件推廣公司. NEF的使命是創造緬因州的戰鬥機和球迷的一致好評最高的質量事件. NEF的執行團隊在作戰體育管理方面擁有豐富的經驗, 生產活動, 媒體關係, 市場營銷, 法律和廣告.
THE HEAVYWEIGHTS WILL SEE ACTION AT NEF 29
即時發布: 路易斯頓, 緬因 (五月 2, 2017) - 新英格蘭戰鬥 (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on 星期六, 六月 17, 2017 with the fight promotion’s next event, “NEF 29: STARS & STRIPES.” The event will feature a full slate of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. On the professional portion of the MMA card, the ever-popular 拉斯 “Rasquatch” 希爾頓 (1-0) 已簽約的臉 埃里克 “Big Black” Ramsey (0-1) 在一個重量級的較量.
Including his amateur career, 6’6″ Ras Hylton is a perfect 4-0 在NEF籠. His meteoric rise to the top of the NEF heavyweight division has left a trail of broken and battered opponents in its wake. Hylton’s first four opponents have not lasted a total of six minutes with the Taekwondo black belt. A member of both First Class MMA and Dragon Fire Martial Arts, Hylton won his pro debut over veteran Mike Hansen (5-5) 在 “NEF 27” 去年二月.
“I’m really excited about being able to get in the cage again,” 說希爾頓. “I have the opportunity to get tested by someone outside the circuit, which evokes a real ‘next level’ feeling. NEF is really pulling out all the stops to make June 17th a great start to the summer! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Father’s Day, so I intend to relax, 不敗, with my kids on Sunday. I hope everyone comes out for this one!”
Eric Ramsey will make his first NEF appearance on 六月 17. Based out of Clinton, 俄克拉何馬州, Ramsey has been a fixture on MMA cards in the Sooner State since 2012. Like Hylton, he gained a reputation as a quick finisher, with his first three amateur bouts lasting a total of less than three minutes. Ramsey comes to Maine looking for his first win as a professional. He represents Trinity Combat Club.
“I look forward to displaying my skills in front of a new crowd,” said Ramsey. “I am very grateful to NEF and Ras Hylton for allowing me the opportunity to challenge myself. I’m excited to show what Oklahoma has to offer. 謝謝, and God bless.”
New England Fights returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with its next event, “NEF 29: STARS & STRIPES,” 週六, 六月 17, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at the Colisee box office 207-783-2009 X 525 並在網上www.TheColisee.com.
有關事件，並拼牌更新的詳細信息, 請訪問推廣的網站 www.NewEnglandFights.com. 此外, 你可以在觀看視頻NEF www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “新英格蘭戰鬥.”
關於新英格蘭戰鬥
新英格蘭戰鬥 (“NEF”) 是打架事件推廣公司. NEF的使命是創造緬因州的戰鬥機和球迷的一致好評最高的質量事件. NEF的執行團隊在作戰體育管理方面擁有豐富的經驗, 生產活動, 媒體關係, 市場營銷, 法律和廣告.
SANDERS ON LEMKE REMATCH: “I’M GOING TO STEAL HIS SOUL AND I’M GOING TO BREAK HIS WILL”
即時發布: 路易斯頓, 緬因 (四月 27, 2017) – 從來沒有一個從挑戰退縮, or an opportunity to call out the competition, “The” Ryan Sanders is irked by the tone of the scuttlebutt since his first fight with Jon Lemke last November.
是的, the skirmish stopped during the third round, due to a deep cut on Lemke’s head. But with Sanders leading comfortably, 20-18, 在所有這三個卡, he was declared the winner.
It all fell in line with the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, and it surely reflected Sanders’ conviction that he was well in command of the bout and on his way to victory, regardless. Since that night, 該 星期六 before Thanksgiving, 然而, Sanders, 29, says that Lemke and others in his camp have been a tad too outspoken about their belief that it was somehow a tainted victory.
In a recent interview with Jason Floyd on “The MMA Report Podcast,” Sanders held nothing back when queried about his motivation to dole out another beating when the former training partners meet this Saturday, 四月 29 in a rematch at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston.
這次, it’s the tournament final for the vacant lightweight title at “NEF 28: Invincible.”
“I was a little upset afterwards that (Lemke) said he thought it should have been a no-contest,” Sanders said. “What Jon won’t talk about or say is that right before I got that takedown, he quit. He quit in my arms.”
Sanders (13-8) clarified that comment, adding that while Lemke (6-7) didn’t say the word explicitly, his vast experience in the cage underscored his belief that the end was nigh.
“A fighter knows when someone is about to give up, and Jon was about to give up,“他說，. “He wasn’t fighting that takedown in my arms. He was just dead weight in my arms, so it’s a bit frustrating that he would say that.”
It didn’t take long for the stars to align and serve up the second helping that both fighters’ fan bases crave. With a shot at the strap in the offing, both men made short work of their 155-pound tournament semifinal opponents in February.
Sanders landed a vicious kick to the jaw of John Ortolani that ended their confrontation in a mere 15 秒. Lemke was just as impressive, needing only a minute longer to dispatch Jesse “the Viking” Erickson.
Typically it’s the defeated fighter in this scenario who covets the chance at vindication, but Sanders sounds like the one with an axe to grind after hearing some of the public perception about his previous win.
“I’m happy that we get a rematch and to be able to show everyone that the first time it wasn’t a fluke and to have my hand raised again,” Sanders, 是誰 6-1 in his past seven fights, 說. “I’m unstoppable right now. I’m surrounded with the best people. I’ve got great teammates, great coaches and an amazing wife … Any guy who fights me, they are (screwed).”
Asked if he is bent on earning a submission to achieve a measure of unfinished business, Sanders quickly declared that any form of victory will suffice.
“Not necessarily to get a stoppage victory, but I’m going to show him. It will be five months since we fought, and I’ve been in the gym every day, and I’m going to show him that he’s not on my level,” Sanders said. “Eventually the victory will come whether it’s a submission, a TKO, a knockout. Jon does have a lot of heart, but I’m going to be stealing it from him. I’m going to steal his soul and I’m going to break his will.
“I’m a grappler, so I do prefer a nice submission victory,” he continued. “But whatever he gives me I’ll take, and I’m going to go in there and take it. I’m going to take that belt home. That is my belt, and I’ve worked too hard to let anyone else take it from me.”
The rivalry between Sanders and Lemke is a natural one. They were former stablemates at Team Irish before Sanders switched to rival Young’s MMA.
Sanders said he didn’t earn enough takedowns for his liking in the previous encounter, but he believes the scorecards were an accurate reflection of how he dominated the fight.
“I knew he was a tough dude. He could take a punch. He could take a kick,” Sanders said. “I feel like I was getting the best of it.”
A second bout with Lemke fits Sanders’ profile as a fighter willing to take on anyone, 隨地, 在任何時候.
Sanders, who has been matched in his career with the likes of Marcus Davis, Gil de Freitas, Levan Makashvili, Luis Felix and Derrick Kennington, has won his last five in a row on Maine soil.
He dropped back-to-back decisions to de Freitas in his two previous bids for an NEF title and naturally predicts that he won’t let the third chance at gold slip away.
“I know with the training I’m putting in that I’m destined for greatness,” Sanders said. “My work has shown that, and my future fights will show that. I know I’m there to fight the best. Look at the guys I’ve fought. They’re UFC or Bellator vets, or they’re top-five fighters in the region.
“(The fans are) going to witness a great fight, a great performance by Ryan Sanders,”他總結道. “They may say, ‘This guy’s being (a jerk). He’s real cocky.’ It’s not that I’m cocky. I’m fully confident in my training and in my training partners and in my coaches and in myself that I am ready to fight anybody in the region and beat anybody in the region.”
The opening bell for “NEF 28: Invincible” on 四月 29 被設定為 7 P.M. 門票開始 $25 和可在 www.TheColisee.com 或致電在Colisée酒店票房 207.783.2009, extension 525.
LEMKE ON LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE SHOT: “I JUST THINK ABOUT GETTING THAT BELT AND DEFENDING THAT BELT”
即時發布: 路易斯頓, 緬因 (四月 27, 2017) – Not everybody in life gets blessed with a shot at redemption. Jonathan Lemke will bask in that opportunity on multiple fronts when he battles “The” Ryan Sanders for the vacant NEF lightweight title this 星期六, 四月 29 at Androscoggin Bank Colisee as part of “NEF 28: Invincible.”
It’s the second shot at the NEF strap for Lemke, who lost a split decision to Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington in February 2016 at “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS.” Lemke also looks forward to the rematch with Sanders after their fight in November was abbreviated due to a gash on Lemke’s head.
“Definitely after the way the last one ended, I still feel like I have a little unfinished business, a little chip on my shoulder,” Lemke said recently in an interview on “The Maine Event” podcast with Ryan Jarrell and Bryan Stackpole. “I definitely want to go out there and take care of business this time.”
Sanders (13-8) won a unanimous decision when the verdict went to the scorecards by virtue of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
Like his opponent and former stablemate, Lemke (6-7) has carved out a reputation as a fighter who will take on all comers. The first bout with Sanders extended his winless streak to four fights, but the quality of opposition – Devin Powell, Josh LaBerge and Boyington preceded Sanders – are good for more than an asterisk.
He snapped that run in short order with a first-round TKO of Jesse “The Viking” Erickson in February’s tournament semifinals.
“我很興奮, very grateful,” Lemke said. “This is the culmination of a lot of years, a lot of hard work, to be at this point again and see some of that pay off.”
Lemke doesn’t believe that he needs the title to validate his years under the NEF umbrella. On the flip side, 然而, it is a line on the personal checklist on which he is hungry to leave his mark.
“It would mean a lot,” he acknowledged. “It wouldn’t define me either way, but at the same time certainly one of the goals I set out to achieve when I first started this sport was to take care of business on the regional end and to be a regional champion.”
Previous champions Powell, Boyington and Dez Green made the lightweight belt NEF’s most coveted honor by using it as a springboard to opportunities on a national scale.
Lemke, who has enjoyed the spotlight as part of both a Bellator card and Dana White’s “Lookin’ for a Fight” UFC audition, denied that he is looking ahead to greener pastures.
“I haven’t given it a lot of thought about where it would take me,“他說，. “I just think about getting that belt and defending that belt. It’s always one fight at a time.”
Between their days training together with Team Irish (Sanders now fights out of Young’s MMA) and their previous fight, Lemke and Sanders know one another as well as any NEF title fight opponents in history.
While Lemke allows for the possibility that both men will dip into their bag of tricks, he said fans shouldn’t expect too many surprises.
“I think stylistically it will be a little bit different. Game plan wise it will be a little bit different. At the start you might see some different wrinkles from both,” Lemke said “But at the end of the day we are both familiar with each other, so it will be a similar type fight.”
He also sees the confrontation living up to every ounce of its billing.
“One of the statements from the first card was that I believe this fight could headline any card, any regional or national promotion, and I still believe that,” Lemke said. “It’s a fight the fans want to see.”
And it’s a fight he naturally believes he will win the second time around.
“I’m healthy as can be. Had a good, tough camp, and I’m looking forward to getting out there and performing my business,” Lemke said. “I believe in my overall skill set and believe that overall skill set will lead to the victory.”
The opening bell for “NEF 28: Invincible” on 四月 29 被設定為 7 P.M. 門票開始 $25 和可在 www.TheColisee.com 或致電在Colisée酒店票房 207.783.2009, extension 525.
COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES NINE-BOUT LINEUP FOR CINCO DE MAYO MMA EVENT IN VENTURA, CALIFORNIA
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COMBATE AMERICAS COMPLETES STACKED, 10-BOUT FIGHT CARD FOR TUCSON, 亞利桑那州
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