RAY WOOD TO DEFEND FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST BELLATOR AND WEC VETERAN AT NEF XVI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (November 21, 2014) –New England Fights (NEF), America's number-one regional fight promotion, presents its sixteenth mixed martial arts (MMA) event, “NEF XVI,” on February 7, 2015 in Lewiston, Maine.  The event is scheduled to originate from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Earlier today NEF announced the addition of a professional featherweight championship bout to the fight card.  Ray "All Business" Wood (5-0) will defend the NEF Featherweight Title against Anthony "Cheesesteak" Morrison (16-9).

Ray Wood won the NEF Featherweight Title in July 2013 in front of his hometown crowd on the Bangor Waterfront.  During that bout, Wood suffered a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), requiring surgery and a lengthy layoff from the sport of MMA.  He would make his triumphant return this past September at "NEF XIV," successfully defending his title against the tough challenge of Brazil's Gabriel Baino (6-2).  Wood looked dominant in the performance, as if he never missed a beat during his time off, winning via second-round technical knockout.  In the days that followed the fight, Wood was on the move, leaving the comfort zone of his Young's MMA teammates for the warmer climes of South Carolina.  He now trains at South Carolina Revolution MMA with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's Bantamweight Title contender Sara McMann (8-1).  On February 7, he will return home and reunite with his teammates at Young's MMA to defend his title in Lewiston, Maine.

"I'm definitely excited to come back and defend the title," said Wood.  "Things are going to be a little different for me this time around now that I'm training out of South Carolina Revolution mixed martial arts, home of UFC fighter Sara McMann as well as flyweight Justin Scoggins. It has taken a little time to adjust to the change seeing as how I've been training with Young's MMA since the start of my career. I can definitely put in a good solid camp here  and come back a whole new fighter.  I feel this is a huge fight for me.  Anthony Morrison has fought some big-name fighters and has held his own at the next level. I plan on going into this fight showing everyone I'm ready for the next level. Anthony is towards the tail end of his career, I'm younger faster and more hungry.  I just have more to prove!"

Anthony Morrison will be a serious step up in competition for Wood.  Morrison has been to the big stage before, having competed in the Bellator cage as well as for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) which was later absorbed into the UFC. Morrison has faced such top names as current UFC-signed athletes Mike Thomas Brown (22-9) and Chad "Money" Mendes (16-2). His last cage appearance saw Morrison defeat Kenny Foster (11-8) via unanimous decision at Bellator 108.  Morrison is currently a member of Daddis MMA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He will make the trek to Lewiston, Maine this February in hopes of bringing the NEF Featherweight Title back with him to the "City of Brotherly Love."

 

"The champion, Ray Wood, is a good, well-rounded opponent," Morrison said.  "I look forward to facing him for the title. It will be a good victory."

NEF's next MMA event, "NEF XVI," takes place on February 7, 2015.  Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  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 them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

PROFESSIONAL LIGHTWEIGHT BATTLE ON TAP FOR NEF XVI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (November 20, 2014) –New England Fights (NEF), America's number-one regional fight promotion, presents its sixteenth mixed martial arts (MMA) event, “NEF XVI,” on February 7, 2015 in Lewiston, Maine.  The event is scheduled to originate from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Earlier today NEF announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the fight card.  Jesse "The Viking" Erickson (3-4) will look to get back on the winning track after dropping two in a row when he faces John "Little" Healey (0-1).

Erickson, the former number-one contender to the NEF MMA Lightweight Title, is coming off back-to-back losses to reigning champion Bruce "Petty Boy" Boyington (9-7) at "NEF XIV" and "NEF XV" respectively.  Up until that time, Erickson had never lost two fights in a row.  The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) coach from Central Maine BJJ in Auburn, Maine is now put in the position where he needs a win to stay in the lightweight title picture.  Erickson has his sights set on Healey, and he claims to be hungry to climb back in the NEF MMA cage in the new year.

"For the first time in my career, I've tasted defeat twice in a row," stated Erickson.  "I hate losing, but I'm not going to let it deter me. I'm going to use it as motivation and come back better than ever in February.  John Healey better come prepared for a serious battle because I've tasted a higher level of competition and I'm hungry for more." 

John Healey has had his share of frustration in the past few months.  Scheduled to face Ryan "The Junkyard Dog" Cowette (2-2) last September at "NEF XIV," Healey was left at the scale the afternoon of weigh-ins when Cowette was rushed to the hospital for a medical emergency.  NEF officials were quick to find Healey an opponent for "NEF XV" earlier this month, only for Healey to suffer an injury during training, forcing him to pull out of the fight. While this will be Healey's first time competing as a professional in the NEF MMA cage, Healey had quite a bit of success in that hexagon as an amateur, winning all three of his previous bouts for the fight promotion.  He will look to continue that success on February 7 when he meets Jesse Erickson.

"Fighting Jesse Erickson will be a great fight and tough because Erickson is a tough kid from a good school," said Healey when reached for comment.  "He's an NEF veteran having fought for the promotion multiple times, so he's no stranger to the NEF cage.  But I will be ready for anything that comes at me February 7th.  I know he doesn't give up and neither do I, so it's going to be a great fight. I'm excited for this fight and to finally get back in the NEF cage. I know we're both going to be ready to go and I am excited to get back into the NEF cage after having things happen the last two times I was supposed to compete, so be ready because I'm hungry and ready for this fight."

NEF's next MMA event, "NEF XVI," takes place on February 7, 2015.  Ray "All Business" Wood (5-0) returns that night to defend the NEF MMA Featherweight Title.  Tickets 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. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

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 Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

NEF ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF NEF XIV FROM LEWISTON, MAINE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (September 7, 2014) –New England Fights' (NEF) held its fourteenth mixed martial arts event, “NEF XIV,” Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.  More than 2,500 rowdy fans were on-hand for the cage fighting action.  Also in attendance for the night of fights were Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (22-11), former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Featherweight Champion of the World and current UFC star Mike Thomas Brown (22-9), and former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia (31-9).

Three NEF Maine State MMA title belts were on the line.  In the first title fight, it was a thrilling contest between two of Maine's most popular fighters in Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington (7-7) and Jesse "The Viking" Erickson (3-3).  After a back-and-forth first round that had the crowd on the edge of its collective seat, the referee stopped the fight due to strikes in the second, awarding Boyington the lightweight strap.  In the co-main event of the evening, Tim "The Terror" Goodwin (9-4) unseated long-reigning champion Paul Gorman (10-9) via unanimous decision.  Ray "All Business" Wood (5-0) retained the featherweight championship with a highlight-reel technical knockout of Gabriel Baino (6-2).

The full "NEF XIV" fight card results from Lewiston, Maine:

PROFESSIONAL

145*TITLE Ray Wood def. Gabriel Baino via TKO, round 2 (Wood retains title)

135*TITLE Tim Goodwin def. Paul Gorman via unanimous decision (Goodwin wins title)

155*TITLE Bruce Boyington def. Jesse Erickson via TKO, round 2 (Boyington wins title)

145 Jon Lemke def. Amos Collins via TKO, round 1

165 Ryan Quinn def. Ryan Sanders via unanimous decision

149 Derek Shorey def. John Raio via guillotine, round 1

135 Elias Leland def. Brandon Bushaw via rear-naked choke, round 2

155 Ricky Sylvester def. Tollison Lewis via armbar, round 1

AMATEUR

185 Mike Vangelist def. Buck Pineau via armbar, round 3

200 Crowsneck Boutin def. Ramon Saintvil via KO, round 1

155 Jarrod Tyler def. Mike Robinson via KO, round  3

135 Johnny Crafts def. Justin Whitham via rear-naked choke, round 1

145 Caleb Hall def. Phil Exner via rear-naked choke, round 1

138 Steve Desjardins def. Erik Nelson via split decision

298 Bill Leahy def. Gravin Guillen via arm triangle, round 1

135 Nate Boucher def. James Dougherty via unanimous decision

175 Caleb Farrington def. Nash Roy via Americana, round 2

154 Dom Cofone def. Corey Hinkley via rear-naked choke, round 2

155 Josh Harvey def. Alex Johnson via rear-naked choke, round 1

135 Tara Mitchell def. Hillary Cooledge via unanimous decision

145 Matt Denning def. Jeremy Tyler via rear-naked choke, round 2

195 Jacob Cameron def. John Gardner via TKO, round 1

170 Pat Kelly def. Frank Dellasalla via rear-naked choke, round 1

141 Michael Crespo def. Trevor Hebert via unanimous decision

139 Nick Spencer def. Carl Langston via TKO, round 3

NEF's next event "NEF BOXING" takes place on October 11, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.  Tickets for "NEF BOXING" start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  NEF's next mixed martial arts event, "NEF XV," takes place on November 15, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.  Tickets are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com.  For more information on both events 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 them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

NEF ANNOUNCES WEIGH-IN RESULTS FROM LEWISTON, MAINE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (September 5, 2014) – The weigh-ins for New England Fights' (NEF) next mixed martial arts event, “NEF XIV,” took place this afternoon at the Fusion Lounge of the Ramada Conference Center. “NEF XIV” will take place at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee located at 190 Birch Street, Lewiston, Maine 04240, tomorrow, September 6 with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.  The first fight is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

The weights from Lewiston, Maine:

PROFESSIONAL

145*TITLE Gabriel Baino (144.7) vs Ray Wood (c) (144.4)

135*TITLE Tim Goodwin (133.4) vs Paul Gorman (c) (134.7)

155*TITLE Jesse Erickson (154.9) vs Bruce Boyington (153.1)

145 Amos Collins (145.5) vs Jon Lemke (144.1)

165 Ryan Quinn (163.6) vs Ryan Sanders (163.6)

149 John Raio (148.2) vs Derek Shorey (143.2)

135 Brandon Bushaw (135.0) vs Elias Leland (133.7)

155 Tollison Lewis (155.2) vs Ricky Sylvester (153.6)

AMATEUR

185 Buck Pineau (184.7) vs Mike Vangelist (183.5)

200 Crowsneck Boutin (192.7) vs Ramon Saintvil (196.5)

155 Jarrod Tyler (153.8) vs Mike Robinson (154.7)

135 Johnny Crafts (135.9) vs Justin Witham (133.2)

145 Caleb Hall (145.8) vs Phil Exner (145.4)

138 Steve Desjardins (138.0) vs Erik Nelson (136.7)

298 Gravin Guillen (297.6) vs Bill Leahy (251.4)

135 James Doughtery (133.8) vs Nate Boucher (134.7)

175 Caleb Farrington (173.3) vs Nash Roy (174.4)

154 Dom Cofone (153.9) vs Corey Hinkley (150.1)

155 Alex Johnson (154.0) vs Josh Harvey (155.1)

135 Hillary Cooledge (135.4) vs Tara Mitchell (131.2)

145 Jeremy Tyler (144.9) vs Matt Denning (145.7)

195 John Gardner (194.5) vs Jacob Cameron (188.9)

170 Frank Dellasalla (168.4) vs Pat Kelley (167.6)

141 Trevor Hebert (140.5) vs Michael Crespo (139.6)

139 Nick Spencer (138.3) vs Carl Langston (137.4)

Tickets for "NEF XIV" start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  Tickets will also be available at the door before and during the event.  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 them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

LELAND ON FIGHT WITH BUSHAW: "I'M GONNA TRY TO KEEP IT STANDING AND BANG A LITTLE BIT"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (September 4, 2014) –This Saturday night, September 6 in Lewiston, New England Fights (NEF), America's number-one regional fight promotion, presents its next mixed martial arts (MMA) event, "NEF XIV."  The fight card will feature a professional bantamweight bout between Elias Leland (0-0) and Brandon Bushaw (0-0).  After successful amateur careers, both athletes will be making their professional debut.  Recently, Leland was the guest on the NEF Podcast where he discussed the upcoming bout with NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson.

Leland, who trains out of the Academy of MMA in Portland, Maine, amassed an impressive 3-1 record as an amateur.  He has won his last three fights, all in the NEF cage.  Both Leland and his opponent Bushaw are undefeated in the NEF cage.  Leland first spoke about his introduction to the sport of MMA.

"When I first started this journey it was because I always liked to wrestle around and mess around with my friends," recalled Leland. "I was very, very competitive.  I never got the chance to do any sort of martial arts whatsoever.  I always wanted to try karate, but it wasn't an option as I was growing up.  As I got a little bit older, I needed to change my habits... I saw a few fights on TV and I was like 'I gotta try that.'  So, I went into Jay's gym and I was hooked ever since.  I've been doing it for six years now straight.  I train like six days a week, even when I'm off-training, I just constantly train.  It's my love.  Jay's given me a brown belt just recently in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  I'm very proud of that."

Leland's only loss in the MMA cage to date was his debut in the fall of 2011.  He lost by submission to the current Maine State MMA Featherweight Champion Ray "All Business" Wood (4-0).  When most fighters will call it quits after suffering their first defeat, Leland was able to take that early loss and transform it into a highly successful amateur career.

"First, I'm not gonna stop on a loss," exclaimed Leland.  "There's no fucking way that's gonna happen!  Like I said, I'm very competitive and that's just something I'm not gonna do.  Second, after I got over the cockiness and the 'I'm the greatest, how could this actually happen,' I sat down and I really paid attention to what happened and what made me actually lose that fight.  From anything that you do, from any fight, anything, you can always walk away win, lose or draw with some sort of knowledge."

This Saturday, Leland makes his professional debut against Brandon Bushaw.  Bushaw is a native of Westbrook, Maine, but now lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  A former two-time Maine State Wrestling champion and veteran of the Michigan State University wrestling program, Bushaw put together a fantastic 7-4 record as an amateur in MMA.  It will definitely be a major test for Leland in his pro debut, much like he faced with Ray Wood in his amateur debut.

"I think he's a fairly good wrestler, so I'm going to be watching out for that," said Leland of Bushaw.  "I don't know what he's got to bring with kickboxing or real brutal ground and pound, especially with my Jiu-Jitsu.  With us matched up I think it's gonna be a very interesting fight.  I'm gonna try to keep it standing and bang a little bit.  It'll be very interesting to see how he reacts to that.  In most of his fights, I've noticed that he goes for the takedown fairly quick, and I think I think I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve to stuff that."

Moving into the professional ranks is a serious step in the career of any mixed martial artist.  Leland touched on his goals for the future as a professional fighter.

"I would like to continue to fight as long as my body will let me," Leland declared.  "Then, I'll eventually open up a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym.  I've decided from every single fight that I do that I'm taking some of whatever I make and I'm putting it aside into an account to build up and get interest so that I can eventually open up a gym.  I don't know when that will be exactly.  I've got a long road ahead of me before that will happen."

To listen to the full NEF Podcast with Elias Leland please visitwww.NewEnglandFights.com/Podcasts/.

To learn more about the Academy of MMA in Portland, Maine please visit their website www.TheAcademyMaine.com.  If you would like to contact Elias Leland you can send him a message through his personal Facebook page "Elias.Leland."

NEF's next MMA event, “NEF XIV,” is scheduled to take place thisSaturday, September 6, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with a bell time of 6:00 pm.  In the main event of the evening, Featherweight Champion Ray "All Business" Wood (4-0) returns from injury after a year of recovery against Brazil's Gabriel Baino (6-1).  Bantamweight Champion Paul Gorman (10-8) defends against Tim "The Terror" Goodwin (8-4).  Plus, Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington (6-7) and Jesse "The Viking" Erickson (3-2) will meet for the Lightweight Title, Ryan Sanders (6-5) faces Ryan Quinn (10-4-1), and John "First Class" Raio (2-5) competes in his final fight.

Tickets for "NEF XIV" start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x 525.  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 them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

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 Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.