Tag Archives: Brad Lee

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

BERMUDEZ VICTORIOUS, ERICKSON PUTS ON A CLINIC AS NEF BRINGS A SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION TO THE MERRILL AUDITORIUM STAGE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (February 10, 2020) – More than 2000 braved frigid temperatures on Saturday night as New England Fights (NEF) brought its most recent mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event to the stage of Merrill Auditorium in Portland.  22 fights took place under the shadow of the world-famous 1911 Kotzschmar Memorial Organ.  It was NEF’s debut at the century-old venue, and the event opened the venerable fight promotion’s ninth season of MMA competition.

In the main event of the evening, UFC veteran Manny “The Bermudez Triangle” Bermudez (15-2) submitted Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (19-12) with a guillotine choke in the first round.  The bout was originally scheduled to be contested for the NEF Professional Lightweight Title, but with Bermudez missing championship weight, he was not eligible to win the belt.  The title currently remains vacant.

Bermudez’s victory capped a perfect night for the South Shore Sportfighting team of Rockland, Massachusetts.  Teammates Darryl Andrews (1-0) and Tim Birkenhead (2-0) were both successful in their respective fights to lift their gym to a 3-0 record on the event.

Also going 3-0 on the evening was the team of Evolution Athletix based in Saco, Maine.  Teddy Politis (1-0), Ben Grady (1-0), and Tyler Smythe (1-0) all stopped their opponents within the first minute of the first round of their respective fights to win their respective amateur debuts.

The biggest story of the night, undoubtedly, came in the co-main event as longtime NEF veteran Jesse “The Viking” Erickson(10-8) handed Josh “Hook On” Harvey (7-1-1) the first loss of his professional career.  Erickson, who represents both Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Recon Fitness, put on a brilliant jiu-jitsu clinic that will be remembered for years to come.  Trapped against the cage by Harvey early-on in the first round, Erickson pulled guard and transitioned through a chain of submissions before finally settling in with an armbar to force the tapout, sending the Portland crowd into an absolute frenzy.

In a wild heavyweight slugfest that also took place on the professional portion of the card, Ras “Rasquatch” Hylton (5-3) downed Brad Lee (0-1) via technical knockout in the second round.  After several minutes of feeling each other out, the pair exchanged in a back-and-forth slobber-knocker in the closing moments of the first round.  A little over a minute into the second round, the referee called a halt to the action after several unanswered strikes from the 6’6” Hylton.

Hylton’s First Class MMA teammate Jacob Deppmeyer (1-0) had a successful pro debut, defeating Carl Langston (0-5) via first-round technical knockout.  Deppmeyer, trapped Langston in a reverse triangle and rained down a series of unanswered elbows, giving the referee no option but to stop the bout at that point.

On the amateur card, top prospect Mike Bezanson (5-0) of Kaze Dojo remained undefeated with a technical knockout win over Greg Ishihara (2-2) in the first round.

Also remaining undefeated in the amateur ranks were Nate “The Mule” White (5-0) and Caleb “Dr. Feelgood” Austin (4-0), both fighting out of CMBJJ, who finished their respective opponents in the first round.

Another CMBJJ product, Garry Carr (3-1), broke his own record for a second consecutive time when he became, yet again, the oldest athlete to win a fight in the NEF cage.  At 58-years-young, Carr took a unanimous decision victory over 23-year-old Austin Hamilton (0-2) in a catchweight amateur fight.

NEF also announced that its next event would see the promotion return to the campus of UMaine Orono at the Collins Center for the Arts on April 18 with “NEF 43: Rampage.”  Already confirmed for the event, Zac “Rocky” Richard (6-2-1) will defend the NEF Amateur Lightweight Title against Devin Corson (3-1), while Chelsea Tucker (3-3) is scheduled to meet Oregon’s Caree Hill (6-2) for the NEF Amateur Women’s Flyweight Championship, and Caleb Austin faces James Ploss (1-2) in a long-awaited rematch of their controversial 2017 bout.

The full “NEF 42” results from Portland, Maine:

PROFESSIONAL

Manny Bermudez def. Bruce Boyington via tap to guillotine, round 1

Jesse Erickson def. Josh Harvey via tap to armbar, round 1

Ras Hylton def. Brad Lee via technical knockout, round 2

Chris Caterino def. Nate Boucher via tap to armbar, round 1

Jacob Deppmeyer def. Carl Langston via technical knockout, round 1

AMATEUR

Tim Birkenhead def. Mike Murray via tap to kneebar, round 2

Joe Howard def. Justin Kangas via KO, round 1

Mike Bezanson def. Greg Ishihara via technical knockout, round 1

Felipe Gunter def. Hannon Sanford via unanimous decision

Nate White def. Brian Cosco via technical knockout, round 1

Darryl Andrews def. Titus Pannell via unanimous decision

Jason Landry def. Dustin Carrier via technical knockout, round 2

Tyler Smythe def. Clifford Redman via technical submission, round 1

Garry Carr def. Austin Hamilton via unanimous decision

Ryan Fogg def. Giuliano Rossi via doctor stoppage, round 2

Ben Grady def. Jon Assam via KO, round 1

Tim Bergeron def. Henry Jeffs via technical knockout, round 1

Caleb Austin def. Dillon Henry via tap to rear-naked choke, round 1

Dylan Williams def. Wyatt Sochin via split decision

Randall Hathorn def. Tim Murray via technical knockout, round 1

Henry Clark def. Taylor Bartlett via technical submission, round 1

Teddy Politis def. Kevin Lamay via tap to Kimura, round 1

New England Fights’ next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 43: Rampage,” will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2020, at the Collins Center for the Arts at UMaine Orono. Tickets will be on sale this week at www.CollinsCenterfortheArts.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.

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTS AND HARDCORE MUSIC ALL IN A WEEKEND’S WORK FOR BRAD LEE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (January 22, 2020)

Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8 promise to be a heavyweight weekend in Portland, Maine for Brad Lee.

On the opening night, Lee will put his lungs to the test as lead vocalist for a hardcore band known as Instigate, which will hold a CD release party in conjunction with its performance at Geno’s Rock Club.

Then he’ll exchange the microphone for a pair of gloves and attempt to play a two-fisted tune on Ras Hylton in the New England Fights mixed martial arts cage.

Lee will make his MMA debut against the veteran Ras “Rasquatch” “The Jamaican Shamrock” Hylton (4-3) in a professional bout at NEF 42: “Symphony of Destruction” inside another renowned concert venue, Merrill Auditorium.

“I absolutely want to make a living out of it,” Lee said of his immediate jump to the pro ranks after a diverse combat sports upbringing. “I feel that I’m fairly marketable. I think I can make a bit of a splash in this corner of the world. I would say I have humble confidence.”

He’s more understated about the musical exploits. Lee characterizes that side of his performance artistry as the typical garage band with small dreams.

“It’s been a huge part of my life. If you’re a big kid with a skateboard, it’s probably going to lead to music and fighting eventually,” Lee said.

“But it’s definitely not about the money,” he added. “It’s literally a band of friends doing it to hang out with our other friends on the weekend. We couldn’t (care less) about stadiums. We’re not Metallica. It’s just a hobby. It’s an outlet for me to get out the (stuff) that’s in my head. It’s just a hobby.”

In the same way that new fighters are required to earn their way upward on fight posters, Lee, who said he “dabbles” with guitar, sounds most excited about the New England-based bands with whom Instigate gets to share the stage.

“Death Before Dishonor and Cruel Hand, if you know anything about that scene, those are big names,” Lee said. “It would have been a great show regardless of whether we were there or not.”

Turning pro in the NEF hexagon without any amateur background isn’t the typical journey, but Lee saw it as the wisest path after a frustrating year of trying to locate willing opponents.

Most potential foes, he said, were intimidated by his 6-foot-4 frame and what was then a walking-around weight of more than 300 pounds. The heavyweight limit is 265.

“I had five different opponents with three different promotions, including NEF, cancel on me. I had fights where the opponent took the fight with me, backed out, and then took a heavyweight fight on the same card,” Lee said. “I don’t want to mention names, but one guy in Ras’ circle (did that). I just got fed up and annoyed with guys holding back my career.”

Lee said he eventually contacted NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson to inquire about the pro landscape within his promotion.

Hylton, who casts a similarly imposing shadow at 6-6, is coming off a sequence of two losses in his past three appearances, including a knockout loss to Chris Sarro – another fighter making his pro debut – last September.

“Matt put Ras out there. I watched the videos and talked to my coaches and went ahead with it,” Lee said. “He’s coming off two hard fights. He seems like a respectful guy. I’m sure some people in his camp think I’m a (jerk). The thing about me in the social media world is I only release what I want people to see. People can talk (crap) all they want.”

In one of his videos, which Lee entitled, “What Makes a Pro a Pro?,” he breaks down what he considers the misconception that an amateur career is a necessity for MMA success.

“Look at Jon Jones. Now, I’m not saying I’m Jon Jones, but he became a world champion without any (martial arts) belts at all,” Lee said. “So what is it? Is it that he can knock guys out? I’ve knocked out a bunch of guys in my life. Is it his cardio? My cardio is pretty good.

“You know, I just got tired of waiting around for other people. When I was getting ready to fight about a year ago, I realize I was right at the top of the weight class, but it’s like people were scared. I mean, if you don’t want to be a heavyweight then get down to 205 or whatever. I’m a lot lighter and in better shape now. People probably would have been better off fighting me last year.”

Boxing and judo are the primary skills in Lee’s tool kit, although he describes himself as a voracious cross-trainer.

“I think the MMA world sleeps on boxing quite a bit,” Lee said. “Muay Thai seems to be the thing, but the Muay Thai guys get their faces hit a lot. But I train anything and everything. I’ll do Tai chi in a park with somebody if it helps me get better, I don’t care.”

Lee, 29, is based out of Paladin Combat Sports in Clinton, Massachusetts, where he said he will stack up his schedule and intensity level against almost anyone his size in the combat sports game.

“Win or lose, I’ll be back in the gym on Monday. Compared to what I’ve seen from most UFC and Bellator heavyweights, I work out harder than most of them,” Lee said. “I was 316 pounds less than a year ago. If anyone wants to check me on my motivation or dedication, tell them to check the scale (at weigh-ins) on February 7.”

After that, fans are invited to follow Lee down the street to Geno’s and listen to him pursue his other passion the night before he makes his debut in the NEF cage.

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.