Tag Archives: James Ploss

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

CONTROVERSIAL FIGHT WILL GET A REMATCH AT NEF 43 IN ORONO

Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Orono, Maine (February 28, 2020) – New England Fights (NEF) will present its next mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine’s flagship Orono campus.  The event, titled “NEF 43: Rampage,” will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2020, with a bell-time of 7 pm EDT.  Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur flyweight bout to the card.  Caleb “Dr. Feelgood” Austin (4-0) will face James Ploss (1-2) at a fight weight of 125 pounds.

The bout will be a rematch of the first fight between Austin and Ploss that took place three years prior in April 2017 at “NEF 28.”  Austin was declared the winner of that first contest, but not without controversy.  Seconds into the first round, Ploss had a tight guillotine choke applied to Austin.  Austin tapped out, but the referee was out of position to see the tap.  Ploss released Austin from the hold, thinking he had won the fight.  The referee, to Ploss’ bewilderment, ordered the fight to continue.  As Ploss tried to make sense of the situation, Austin took him down and finished the fight moments later by technical knockout.

In the days that followed, many were critical of Austin on social media.  The matter seemed to die down after a few days, only to be brought back to the forefront with a vengeance late last year when former UFC and WEC star Mike Brown (26-9) shared the clip on Twitter as an example of “fighting until the referee tells you to stop.”  Suddenly, the fight received global attention from major online news sources like Bloody Elbow, MMA Junkie, The Athletic, and The Underground.

The first fight with Ploss was Caleb Austin’s amateur MMA debut.  He was 18-years-old at the time and still a senior at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine.  Austin was a standout wrestler in high school, putting together a record of 208-11 over four years and winning state titles at 126 pounds his junior and senior years.  He was named the 2017 “Wrestler of the Year” by the Lewiston Sun Journal.  After graduation, Austin continued his wrestling career at the University of Southern Maine, but he took the next two years off from MMA competition.  He returned last summer and has won three fights in a row since he made his comeback.  Austin currently represents Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) in Lewiston, Maine. 

“I’m excited to finally be able to fight James again to gain some closure,” said Austin of the rematch with Ploss. “My MMA debut has haunted me since it happened almost three years ago. I’m thankful to James and his team for giving me this opportunity to get back in there with him. I’ve wanted this for a long time and I promise to make the most of the moment. When I exit the cage this time, it will be without question or controversy—it will end definitively.”

James Ploss went on to fight two more times in 2017 and has not competed since.  He is a member of Greg Williams’ Team Kaze based in Lancaster, New Hampshire.  Like Austin, Ploss will be looking for closure to the outcome of their first encounter.

“I’m grateful for a rematch with Caleb,” said Ploss.  “Reflecting, I have pondered the question, ‘Am I better than Caleb or is he better than me?’ This is the perfect chance to find out—a second chance for us both to give it our all and see who comes out on top giving the fans, MMA community, and both of us the rematch we all want! April 18th, we both test ourselves.”

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 are on sale now 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

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

Leave a comment

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.

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

FORMER WRESTLING STANDOUTS SET TO THROW DOWN AT NEF 28

Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (March 15, 2017) – New England Fights (NEF) presents its next mixed-martial-arts event “NEF 28: INVINCIBLE” on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.  Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of a pair of amateur bouts to the card. Ken Dunn(0-4) is set to face Eddie DeRoche (0-1) in a catchweight bout and double amateur debut fighters Caleb Austin (0-0) of Rumford, Maine and James Ploss (0-0) from Kaze Dojo in Lancaster, NH are set to tangle in a feature flyweight bout.

 

Caleb Austin is a two-time Maine state wrestling champion and a member of the exclusive “200 Wins Club,” a rare feat in Maine wrestling. Austin recently completed his high school career with an overall record of 208-11. Caleb’s father, Eric Austin—also a former Maine state wrestling champion—is an undefeated veteran of the cage, having gone 2-0 in NEF back in 2012. Like his father, Caleb is preparing to put his wrestling on display for the NEF fans in his debut on April 29th.

 

“I’ve wrestled my entire life and grown-up around the NEF community,” stated Austin when reached for comment. “I’ve been waiting a long time to turn 18 to become eligible to compete in the sport of mixed martial arts like my father did. I’m excited to put my skills to the test, represent Rumford and put on a show in the NEF cage. I’m ready.”

 

Austin’s opponent, James Ploss, trains with Greg Williams at the well-known Kaze Dojo in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Several NEF veterans with names familiar to fans, including Allan Josselyn, Mike Bezanson and Alex Walker, hail from the Kaze Dojo. Ploss is committed to carrying on the tradition of strong debuts from the White Mountains gym and following through on a personal promise in the process.

 

“Fighting is real personal to me,” Ploss stated when reached for comment. “I promised the man that raised me that I would fight. He died shortly after that. I want to prove to him and myself that I can be successful in this sport. My goal is to inspire others to achieve.”

 

Eddie DeRoche wrestled alongside Austin for Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine. During his time there, DeRoche was a two-time state finalist. He made his NEF debut in June 2016 at “NEF 24: PROMISED LAND” in a losing effort against Skyler Bang. Reinvigorated at the opportunity to make up for his debut, DeRoche is committed to finding his first win in the NEF cage on April 29th at NEF 28.

 

“My first fight was a great learning experience,” stated DeRoche, when reached for comment. “I appreciated it for what it was and have made the necessary adjustments to make sure I come out on top when I step back into the NEF cage for the second time on April 29th.”

 

DeRoche’s opponent, Ken Dunn, is also looking for redemption at NEF 28. Dunn has made three prior trips to the NEF cage since debuting with the promotion back in 2015 and is hungry for his first win inside the NEF hexagon.

 

“I want to show NEF fans that I’m worthy of a rematch and title shot at Velado and that strap,” stated Dunn when reached for comment. “Eddie Deroche is a worthy adversary. I’m excited to compete against him. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll—and I ain’t stopping until I get there.”

New England Fights returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with its next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 28: INVINCIBLE,” on Saturday, April 29, 2017.  Tickets are on sale now at the Colisee box office 207-783-2009 x 525 and online at www.TheColisee.com.

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 the promotion on Twitter and Instagram @nefights, and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”