Tag Archives: Nate White

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

THE MULE TRAIN ROLLS INTO MERRILL AUDITORIUM IN PORTLAND ON FEBRUARY 8

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (December 20, 2019) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its next mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction,” on Saturday, February 8, 2020, at Merrill Auditorium in Portland.  Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur catchweight bout to the card.  Nate “The Mule” White (4-0) will meet Brian Cosco (5-8) at a fight weight of 158 pounds.

2019 could very well be termed the “Year of the Mule” in hindsight.  The MAGA-hat-wearing Nate White was a perfect 4-0 this past year, finishing all four of his opponents decisively.  White has become known for stepping in at the last minute to save fights.  In September, on just a few days’ notice, White took a fight with Ryan Savage (0-2).  Just hours before that fight, White was tased and pepper-sprayed as part of his National Guard training.  He would go on to defeat Savage that evening.  Last month, White was victorious over Austin Hamilton (0-1) at “NEF 41.”  During his post-fight interview, White famously uttered the phrase “(Jeffrey) Epstein didn’t kill himself” before walking away from the microphone.  White represents Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) of Lewiston, Maine.  He is a nominee for “Rookie of the Year” in NEF for 2019.

“Brian comes into this bout with a lot of fight maturity and with a lot of maturity period—the dude is literally more than double my age,” said White.  “He’s got the edge in experience, but I’ve got the good looks on my side in this one. The Mule Train doesn’t slow down for anyone—especially not for Brian Cosco. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but he’s going to find out what hardworking, unskilled labor feels like on February 8th. God Bless the USA, and God Bless our President to reelection in 2020, the Honorable Donald J. Trump.”

Brian Cosco is a longtime veteran of the New England cage wars having begun his amateur career in 2011.  Like White, he is undefeated in the NEF cage.  Cosco defeated Garry Carr (2-1) by doctor stoppage last April at “NEF 38.”  He returned at “NEF 41” in November to submit Clifford Redman (0-11) in the first round.  Cosco’s Von Flue choke on Redman is a nominee for “Submission of the Year” in the NEF 2019 Year-End Awards.  He currently represents Redline Fight Sports based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“I’m excited to come back up to Maine and fight for NEF again where I’ll be fighting a hometown guy with an undefeated record—and that provides some extra motivation for me,” said Cosco.  “Nate’s young and has the potential to do big things in MMA, but timing is everything in the fight game and this is just a bad time to fight me. 2020 is going to be my year and it starts February 8th.”

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.

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

NATE WHITE STEPS IN AT LAST MINUTE TO SAVE LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHT AT NEF 40

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Orono, Maine (September 3, 2019) – New England Fights (NEF) will debut in Orono this Saturday, September 7, 2019 at the Collins Center for the Arts with the promotion’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 40: School of Hard Knocks.”  Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur lightweight fight to the card.  Nate “The Mule” White (2-0) returns to the cage to face Ryan Savage (0-1) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.

Undefeated Nate White stepped up on just a few days’ notice after Savage’s original opponent, Andrew Kamakas, could not gain medical clearance to fight.  The 19-year-old Rumford, Maine native is on a roll this year and making a play for the “Rookie of the Year” nod from NEF fans.  So far, White has needed just over a combined four minutes to down his first two opponents.  In April, he forced a first-round stoppage against Clifford Redman at “NEF 38” when Redman suffered an injury less than a minute into the fight.  White followed that victory up with a technical knockout of Justin Kangas at “NEF 39” in June. White, a member of the Maine Army National Guard, will be traveling straight from being tazed and peppered sprayed only hours before his scheduled competition with Savage on Saturday night, as part of his Guard OC and tazer qualification training.

“This is a busy week in my life,” said White. “I’m in Texas right now for a job interview and will be flying back on Wednesday to head off to drill weekend with the Guard before my fight on Saturday night, but life is all about seizing opportunities when they become available. I’m excited for the chance to test myself against Ryan. I’ve heard that he is a good guy and I know he trains hard, so I’m excited to see how my skills match-up against him.”

Ryan Savage, a fellow active serviceman with the Air Guard, will be looking for the first win of his amateur MMA career this Saturday night in Orono.  At “NEF 38” last April, Savage lost via submission to Connecticut’s Arii Fernandez in the first round of Savage’s debut.  He currently represents First Class MMA of Brunswick, Maine.

“I’m very fortunate to be given another chance to showcase my true potential,” said Savage. “My first MMA fight opened my eyes to the importance of being an all around fighter, and was a very humbling experience. Nate has been on a roll these last two cards, and I know is training hard to continue his undefeated streak. Nate has great skill, but I’m ready to put that to the test and show everyone I’m here to stay.”

“Fight lore is full of legendary tales of guys stepping-up on last-minute notice to save bouts—and this is another example of that,” said Matt Peterson, NEF Matchmaker and co-owner. “Two active servicemen from respected gyms in the state—one a boxer and the other a wrestler—agreeing to an MMA fight on short notice is just one more added attraction to the stacked card that we have set to wow UMaine with this weekend. I’ve never been more excited to go back to school.”

New England Fights’ next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 40: SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS,” will take place this Saturday, September 7, 2019 at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine as the promotion debuts in Orono, Maine.  Doors will open at 6 pm and first fight will take to the cage at 7 pm.  Tickets are on sale now atwww.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.