Lewiston, Maine (March 18, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine on April 11, 2015 with its seventeenth mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event. Earlier today, the company announced the full fight card for the event. The card is scheduled to feature a full slate of both professional and amateur bouts. NEF executives report that fan reaction to the matchups already announced has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I can’t remember having this kind of response to a fight card before,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “There has been so much excitement over every fight we’ve announced. We sold out of all cage-side tickets four weeks prior to the event, and the general admission are very close to being gone. We’ve never seen that happen so early before. It really says something about the quality of the product we’re putting on here in Lewiston. There’s no doubt NEF is the hottest ticket in town.”
In the main event of the evening, Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington(10-7) defends the NEF MMA Lightweight Title against number-one contender Jamie Harrison (5-1). The bout was made in the hours following “NEF XV” last November when Boyington successfully defended the title against Jesse Erickson (3-4) and Harrison manhandled Tollison Lewis (0-4) on his way to a quick submission victory. The fight will be Boyington’s second defense of the title since winning it last September.
The co-main event of the evening will feature a highly-anticipated welterweight bout between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-1) and Bellator veteran Dennis “The Menace” Olson (12-7). In recent weeks, Lawton and Olson have engaged in a war of words on social media which saw both athletes’ respective supporters jump in the fray.
“Shatterproof 2.0” Derek Shorey (1-1), fresh off signing a new multi-fight contract with NEF, will meet John “First Class” Raio (2-6) in a “rubber match.” The rivalry has seen each fighter win one bout against the other. The April 11 fight, scheduled to take place at a catchweight of 150-pounds, will determine a definitive victor in the rivalry.
Kaline “The Dark Angel” Medeiros (3-4) and undefeated Calie “The Honey Badger” Cutler (3-0) will make history when they contest the first professional women’s MMA fight on a regional card in Maine. It will not be the first time Medeiros has been a part of history. She competed in the first women’s fight in Rhode Island two years ago.
Also in action on the professional side of the card will be popular NEF MMA regulars Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (3-4), “The Junkyard Dog” Ryan Cowette (2-2), Elias “Danger Mouse” Leland (2-0) and Mike “the Mustache” Hansen (2-1), among others.
The amateur portion of the card will be headlined by “Sleepy” Norman Fox (3-1) and “Downtown” Dave Brown (1-2) in a flyweight contest. Fox is undefeated on Maine soil and is currently the number-three ranked amateur flyweight in the Northeast. Brown wrestled for Plymouth State University where he was a four-time All-New England winner.
The amateur card will also feature a lightweight bout betweenRicky Dexter (2-0) from Marcus Davis’ Team Irish and Steven Bang (3-3) from Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) – Team New England United (NEU). Dexter’s teammate Jeremy Tyler (4-3) squares off with Alex Johnson (1-1) of Ruthless MMA & Boxing in a featherweight bout. And Bruce Boyington’s wife, Randi Beth Knowles (0-0), will meet Alex Walker (0-0) in a double-debut strawweight fight.
The full fight card for “NEF XVII” (subject to change and approval of the Combat Sports Authority of Maine):
PROFESSIONAL
155*TITLE Bruce Boyington 10-7 (Young’s MMA) vs Jamie Harrison 5-1 (First Coast Full Contact)
170 Jarod Lawton 4-1 (Team NEU) vs Dennis Olson 12-7 (Boston BJJ/Team Triumph)
265 Brent Dillingham 1-1 (MMA Athletix) vs Mike Hansen 2-1 (BerzerkersMMA)
185 Ryan Cowette 2-2 (MMA Athletix) vs John Daniels 2-3 (Rock City MMA)
155 Jesse Erickson 3-4 (Team NEU – CMBJJ) vs Mark Deford 0-3 (F2 Arena)
150 John Raio 2-6 (First Class MMA) vs Derek Shorey 1-1 (Shatterproof Combat Club)
135 Elias Leland 2-0 (The Academy) vs Jay Perrin 1-0 (Boston BJJ/Team Triumph)
115 Kaline Medeiros 3-4 (Gracie Fitness) vs Calie Cutler 3-0 (Jacked N Tan Fight Team)
AMATEUR
125 Norman Fox 3-1 (MMA Athletix) vs Dave Brown 1-2 (Plymouth Fight Club)
265 Ryan Glover 1-0 (BerzerkersMMA) vs Jason Field 0-0 (Independent)
265 Dave Smith 0-0 (BerzerkersMMA) vs Dan Marley 0-0 (Independent)
185 Ruben Redman 0-1 (Independent) vs Chris Rideout 0-0 (Independent)
185 Chris Smith 0-0 (BerzerkersMMA) vs Nash Roy 2-1 (Young’s MMA)
185 Heath Hanson 0-2 (3Ronin Athletics) vs Brandon Russell 0-1 (Team Nitemare)
155 Ricky Dexter 2-0 (Team Irish) vs Steve Bang Jr. 3-3 (Team NEU – CMBJJ)
155 Rick Matthews 1-1 (Team Irish) vs Matthew Hanning 0-1 (Independent)
155 Jason Lachance 1-1 (MMA Athletix) vs Jesse Herrick 1-0 (The Academy)
145 Clifford Redman 0-1 (Independent) vs Caleb Serra 0-1 (Team Kaze)
145 Jeremy Tyler 4-3 (Team Irish) vs Alex Johnson 1-1 (Ruthless MMA & Boxing)
135 Mike Crespo 2-1 (MMA Athletix) vs Sheldon Bang 1-2 (Team NEU – CMBJJ)
115 Randibeth Knowles 0-0 (Boyington’s TKD/Young’s MMA) vs Alex Walker 0-0 (Team Kaze)
Tickets for “NEF XVII” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée 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.