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.