It was a bitterly cold night in Lewiston last February when Ryan Glover (3-1) won the New England Fights (NEF) mixed-martial-arts (MMA) amateur light-heavyweight title. The months to come would see Glover accept a new job that would take him up and down the East Coast. With little time to train to defend the title, and in the interest of doing right by the division, Glover recently made the difficult decision to relinquish the championship.
NEF executives were quick to act. Earlier today, the fight promotion announced that Victor Irwin (2-0) would meet Nick Shea (2-0) to fill the vacancy. The two undefeated athletes are scheduled to face-off to determine a new light-heavyweight champion at “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLAINS” onSeptember 10, 2016 in Lewiston.
Irwin was a standout wrestler at Brewer High School in Brewer, Maine at 195-pounds where he was a Class-A state champion. His love for the sport is so strong that when Irwin attended Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) and learned the school did not have a wrestling program, he created one himself. As a college freshman in 2014 Irwin went to Nationals and achieved All-American status. He currently trains out of Young’s MMA in Bangor, Maine.
“I’ve thought a lot about this fight and I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter what I say,” said Irwin, “it matters what I do, and come September 10thyou’re gonna see some serious doing.”
2015 was a great start to the MMA career of Nick Shea. In February of that year, he won his debut fight over the much more experienced Jacob Cameron (1-5) via first-round technical knockout. Later in the year, Shea would go on to defeat Ruben Redman (0-1) by decision in a hard-fought contest. It would earn Shea a nomination for the “Rookie of the Year” in the 2015 NEF Year-End Awards. On September 10 in Lewiston, Shea will attempt to become the first member of the First Class MMA fight team to capture gold in the NEF cage.
“It’s an honor to fight someone from Young’s MMA,” said Shea. “I believe this will be my biggest test in the cage to date. I’m grateful and excited to compete for the amateur light heavyweight title. Victor and I will put on an exciting fight on Saturday, September 10th!”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLAINS,” takes place on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the event.
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.”