FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (April 30, 2014) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA), the Northeast’s premier mixed martial arts promotion, is proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of the fight promotion's former lightweight champion Desmond "The Predator" Green (12-2). On May 9, Green will face Germany's Daniel Weichel (33-8) in the final round of the Bellator MMA Season 10 featherweight tournament. The bout, which will originate from Rama, Ontario, CN, is scheduled to be featured on Spike TV. The winner will receive $100,000 in addition to a future shot at the Bellator Featherweight Championship.
"We're so proud of Dez," said NEF MMA co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. "We knew he had that star quality the first time he stepped in the NEF cage as an amateur. It's hard to believe that was only two years ago. He made it so far in such a short time."
A native of Rochester, New York, Green was a standout wrestler in high school, earning himself a scholarship to the University of Buffalo. In late 2011, Green took an amateur MMA fight last minute and was victorious. Soon after, he joined Ryan Ciotoli's well-respected Team Bombsquad and began competing regularly on MMA cards across the Northeast. Green won his NEF MMA debut at NEF I in February 2012 over Nate Charles (1-7) before scoring professional victories over Bruce Boyington (6-7) and Brandon Fleming (3-2). He became a quick favorite of the Maine fight fans who would cheer wildly the second his "Buffalo Soldier" entrance music would play. In May 2013, Green met and defeated UFC veteran Henry Martinez (9-6) in a dominant performance to capture the Maine State MMA Lightweight Championship at NEF VII.
Just weeks after winning the title, however, Green would vacate the belt to sign with top national fight promotion Bellator. Losing his first Bellator bout, Green rebounded with an impressive second-round stoppage of Angelo Sanchez (11-6) a month later in a non-tournament bout. He would then enter the featherweight tournament in Season 10 of Bellator where he would score back-to-back decision victories over Michael "The Marine" Richman (16-4) and Will Martinez (9-3-1) to earn his spot in the finals.
"In two weeks I will be fighting for a chance to win a world title and I am so focused and ready," said Green when reached for comment. "I've been training super hard in Ithaca and Rochester with Matt Lee at Ultimate Athletics. This has been a short but rigid road to get here in the past two years, and I really am appreciative for NEF helping me get here through their support of me and giving me fights and allowing me to have my first championship through them."
"Dez is the blueprint of what we strive for all NEF athletes to become," said NEF MMA co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. "We want to properly promote fighters, get them the right fights to develop themselves, and launch them to Bellator or the UFC. That is the goal here. There are several fighters on the NEF roster right now who are just a win or two away from becoming the next 'Dez Green.' When NEF comes to town, if you're a fan of the sport, get your tickets, because you never know when you're going to see the next big breakout star in MMA on one of our cards!"
NEF MMA's next event, “NEF XIII,” is scheduled to take place onSaturday, May 10, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with a bell time of 7:00 pm. In the main event of the evening, “The" Ryan Sanders (6-4) will rematch Maine State MMA Welterweight Champion Gil de Freitas (15-5) nearly two years after de Freitas defeated Sanders for the inaugural title. Tickets for "NEF XIII" start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.
About New England Fights
New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (“NEF MMA”) is a Mixed Martial Arts promotions company. NEF MMA’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF MMA’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
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