New England Fights! Rocks the Androscoggin Bank Colisee for Fourth Time in 2012

Lewiston, Maine (November 17, 2012) – New England Fights! (NEF) presented its fifth, and final, event of 2012 tonight at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.  As with the previous three events the promotion has held at the venue this year, and with its one sold-out event in Biddeford last spring, another crowd of 2300-plus was on hand to witness a full night of mixed-martial arts cage fighting.

Fight fans were treated to a monster of a knock-out orchestrated by Nate Charles on Rob Vandastine, a quintessential slobber-knocker of a bloodbath that saw Shawn Goodrich win via first-round tko over Edward Miville, a wild, emotional double-pro debut between Ray Wood and John Raio that had the foundation of the Colisee shaking, a new Maine State Bantamweight Champion crowned in Paul Gorman, and Jarod Lawton submitting Ryan Sanders in the main event with two seconds left in the fight.

"I knew personally that I needed to finish," said Lawton.  "I don't like things going to the scorecards and leaving it up to the judges.  I grabbed it (Sanders' knee) and squeezed with everything I have.  I have to thank my friends, family, teammates, sponsors, and especially Ryan.  He's an amazing athlete."

In addition to the sixteen fights presented,  NEF announced its next card, FIGHT NIGHT VI, scheduled for February 2, 2013 back at the Colisee.  The main event of that card will feature current Main State Middleweight Champion Jesse Peterson (7-2) moving up in weight to face Greg Rebello (14-5) in a bout to determine the first-ever Maine State Light Heavyweight Champion.  FIGHT NIGHT VI will have a special start time of 5:00 pm.  Tickets are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x  525.  For more information on the event, visit www.NewEnglandFights.com. You can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

The results of FIGHT NIGHT IV:

PRO

170 Jarod Lawton (IABJJ) def Ryan Sanders (Young’s MMA) kneebar round 3

135 Paul Gorman (Academy) def Adam Toussaint (Havoc) rear-naked choke round 2 [Gorman wins Maine State Bantamweight Championship]

155 John Ortolani (Triumph) def Bruce Boyington (Young’s MMA) rear-naked choke round 1

150 Dez Green (Bombsquad) def Brandon Fleming  (SSSF) unanimous decision

147 Ray Wood (Young’s MMA) def John Raio (MMA Athletix) ref stoppage-strikes round 2

AMATEUR

145 Shawn Goodrich (Havoc) def Edward Miville (CMBJJ) ref stoppage-strikes round 1

135 Elias Leland  (The Academy) def Tommy Balzano  (Team Irish) armbar round 1

135 Brandon Bushaw (Fitness Edge MMA) def Nick Spencer (Choi’s) unanimous decision

155 Damon Owens  (Young’s MMA) def Steven Bang (CMBJJ) rear-naked choke round 1

205 Brent Dillingham (MMA Athletix) def Ben Raven (Sipayik Boxing Club) ref stoppage-strikes round 1

170 Andrew Tripp (Team Irish) def Tollison Lewis (Balanced Ground MMA) rear-naked choke round 1

155 Jesse Erickson (CMBJJ) def Drew Waltz (Young’s MMA) ref stoppage-strikes round 1

135 Cody Sargent (Balanced Ground MMA) def Derek Shorey (Bill Jones’ Shop) neck crank round 1

135 Eric Austin (CMBJJ) def Steve Sobel (Independent) unanimous decision

155 Nate Charles (Balanced Ground MMA) def Rob Vandastine (IABJJ) ko round 1

195 Crowsneck Boutin (Independent) def Tony Wells (CMBJJ) ko round 2

Maine Talent is the Focus of Fight Card this Saturday in Lewiston

Lewiston, Maine (November 14, 2012) –New England Fights! (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine this Saturday evening to present its fifth (and final) fight card of the year in the state.  Currently, five professional bouts are scheduled on the main card preceded by a dozen amateur preliminary fights.

"Maine is so heavy with mixed-martial arts talent right now, it's difficult to comprehend just how far the sport has come in the short time it's been regulated here," stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. "At the top of the card we have Paul Gorman (9-9) out of Portland taking on Adam Toussaint (5-4) of North Berwick in a match that will determine the first-ever Maine State Bantamweight Champion.  We have Ryan Sanders (4-2) from Brewer in a welterweight battle with Augusta's Jarod Lawton (1-1) that could very well end up being a contender for fight of the year.  And then we have a double-pro debut featuring two of the state's most popular fighters in Ray Wood of Bangor (5-1 amateur record) and John Raio (4-0 amateur record) fighting out of Gardiner.  Fight teams and fans from every corner of the state will be descending on the Colisee this Saturday afternoon to see this card."

Averaging crowds of 3,000 at the Colisee in three previous events this year and a sell-out of 1,600 at the Biddeford Arena last spring, NEF expects another large crowd for its card this weekend.  With four successful events in the state this year, and a fifth on tap for Saturday, it appears that Mainers are hooked on the world's fastest growing sport, and will be for years to come if the NEF brass has its way.

"I couldn't be happier with the response we've gotten in the state," said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo.  "I knew we'd do well in this market, but I could've never foreseen just how passionate the fans would be about the sport.  Our success is based on the popularity of our fighters and the rich history of combat sports in Maine.  From producing world champions like Tim Sylvia (31-7) and Mike Brown (22-8), both of whom have been part of NEF events this year, to churning out fighters from the state's fantastic wrestling programs, such as current Maine State Middleweight Champion Jesse Peterson (7-2) who won a state championship wrestling for Mountain Valley in 1995, Maine is a hotbed of MMA.  In 2013, we'll continue to produce shows in Lewiston, as well as other parts of the state where we're currently trying to work out deals with different venues.  If you haven't been to one of our events already, come out to the Colisee on Saturday to see what everyone is talking about.  You won't be disappointed.   Matt and I are family men, and we pride our events on being very family friendly, so bring the kids and enjoy a night out together before the holidays."

Fight Night V is slated for this Saturday, November 17 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, ME with a special start time of 5:00 PM. Tickets for Fight Night V are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x  525.  The box office will open on Saturday at 10:00 AM. Fans are urged to arrive early to buy tickets in order to avoid long lines.  For more information on this event, visit www.NewEnglandFights.com. You can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

The current fight card (subject to change):

PRO

135 Paul Gorman 9-9 (Academy) vs Adam Toussaint 5-4 (Havoc) [BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE]

170 Ryan Sanders 4-2 (Young’s MMA) vs Jarod Lawton 1-1 (IABJJ)

155 Bruce Boyington 3-4 (Young’s MMA) vs John Ortolani 6-6 (Triumph)

145 John Raio 0-0 (MMA Athletix) vs Ray Wood 0-0 (Young’s MMA)

150 Dez Green 5-0 (Bombsquad) vs Brandon Fleming 2-1 (SSSF)

AMATEUR

125 John Parker 0-1 (Team Nitemare) vs Ken Foster 0-1 (Independent)

135 Derek Shorey 2-5 (Bill Jones’ Shop) vs Cody Sargent 0-1 (Balanced Ground MMA)

135 Eric Austin 1-0 (CMBJJ) vs Steve Sobel 1-0 (Independent)

135 Elias Leland 1-1 (The Academy) vs Tommy Balzano 3-1 (Team Irish)

135 Nick Spencer 2-1 (Choi’s) vs Brandon Bushaw 2-2 (Fitness Edge MMA)

145 Shawn Goodrich 0-0 (Havoc) vs Edward Milville 0-0 (CMBJJ)

155 Jesse Erickson 2-1 (CMBJJ) vs Drew Waltz 1-1 (Young’s MMA)

155 Rob Vandastine 0-0 (IABJJ) vs Nate Charles 0-4 (Balanced Ground MMA)

155 Damon Owens 1-3 (Young’s MMA) vs Steven Bang 0-0 (CMBJJ)

170 Tollison Lewis 2-2 (Balanced Ground MMA) vs Tim Tucker 0-2 (Independent)

195 Crowsneck Boutin 0-2 (Independent) vs Tony Wells 0-1 (CMBJJ)

205 Brent Dillingham 3-0 (MMA Athletix) vs Ben Raven 0-0 (Sipayik Boxing Club)

Gorman and Toussaint to Scrap for NEF Maine State MMA 135-pound Title on November 17

Lewiston, Maine (September 28, 2012) – New England Fights! (NEF) is proud to announce the addition of a mixed martial arts 135-pound title bout to its November 17, 2012 FIGHT NIGHT V event in Lewiston, ME. That night, Paul Gorman (9-9) and Adam Toussaint (5-4) will face-off for the first time to determine the inaugural Maine State MMA Bantamweight Champion.

“The buildup for our ‘Night of Champions’ year-end event continues with the announcement of Gorman-Toussaint,” stated NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “There are no other two bantamweight Maine fighters more deserving of vying for this title than Paul and Adam. Gorman’s record speaks for itself—he’s faced high-level competition all around the country above his natural weight class for years. Toussaint is undefeated in NEF and 2-0 for the year with wins over quality opponents.  Fans can expect to watch two fight-educated individuals with each a lot to prove play out their talents in this sure-to-be-exciting bout.”

Paul Gorman, who had been scheduled to appear at Fight Night IV, is anxious to return to action after his June opponent decided to pull out of the bout only hours before weigh-ins the day before the fight due to his inability to make weight.

“As a matchmaker, I’ve never received a communication about such an important fight like the call I got from Pedro Gonzalez two and a half hours before the weigh-ins for Fight Night IV,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Gonzalez called me at 1 PM when weigh-ins were scheduled to commence at 3:30 PM and told me he was 142 pounds and wouldn’t be able to get any lower than 140 pounds in a best-case scenario. He said he would pay (Gorman) $200 to $250 maximum to meet him at 140-pounds, otherwise it wasn’t financially worth it to him to bother driving up to Maine to weigh-in and make the fight at their contractually agreed upon weight of 135-pounds. For someone with as many professional fights as Pedro Gonzalez to pull such a move so close to weigh-ins was shocking for me to see as a matchmaker—and set me up to have to make a terrible call to Paul Gorman and his coaches to tell them that their opponent wasn’t going to make weight as originally agreed. Gorman has taken some lumps that were out of his control in his career and is wholly deserving of this title shot on November 17^th.”

“It’s been a rough few months with a couple of fights falling apart for me, but I feel good about this one and am more motivated than ever to get in there with Toussaint in November,” stated Gorman. “It’s an honor to have a chance to fight for Maine’s first bantamweight championship and what better way than to have two Mainers battle it out in front of a hometown crowd.”

Gorman’s opponent, Adam Toussaint, is no stranger to adversity either. The self-taught, self-trained professional painter from North Berwick, ME began his career, like his opponent, above his natural fighting weight at 145 pounds. Facing bigger, stronger opponents, Toussaint struggled to win consistently early on in his career. However, since settling in at his appropriate fight weight of 135-pounds, Toussaint has gone undefeated in 2012 by first beating the rugged wrestler Chris Rowley (3-6) at Fight Night I back in February and most recently by stopping South Shore Sport Fighting’s Johnny “Cupcakes” Campbell (3-4) back in July in a match that Toussaint was perceived as the underdog going into.

“I’m honored to be fighting for the first ever Maine State Bantamweight Championship,” stated Toussaint when reached for comment. “Years of sacrifice and hard work have gotten me to this point. I look forward to fighting a skilled veteran in Paul Gorman.”

Fight Night V is slated for November 17 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, ME with a special start time of 5:00 PM. For more information on this event, visit www.NewEnglandFights.com. You can watch NEF videos atwww.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.” Tickets for Fight Night V are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x  525.