New England Fights is coming up on their 10th Anniversary on February 12th, 2022. Kicking off the new year with an exciting lineup of fights that will take place at their home base - Aura Nightclub in the heart of Portland's Old Port. NEF's 46th event will mark a historic time for the Maine based promotion, as they'll be celebrating 10 years of putting on events in the state of Maine. Without NEF's presence on the scene over the last decade, you'd be hard-pressed to find the number of gyms and successful MMA fighters coming out of the Pine Tree State. Major kudos to Matt Peterson and Nick DiSalvo for giving these fighters, gyms, and coaches a platform to show their skills.
In typical NEF fashion, they have already announced a number of confirmed bouts well ahead of their February 12th event in Portland. There is a good mix of professional and amateur fights on tap, as well as many popular fighters from the region ready to lock horns inside the NEF cage. Let’s look a little closer at the fight card.
Professional Bouts
Nathaniel Grimard (0-0) trains out of Nostos MMA out of Somersworth, New Hampshire under the tutledge of former UFC fighter, and local hero, Devin Powell. Grimard will be making his professional debut against another debuter in Anthony Vasta (0-0). Vasta trains out of Defensive Edge Martial Arts Academy in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and put together a 1-1 ammy record before making the decision to turn pro. Grimard had a storied amateur carrier, going 4-1 and capturing the NEF amateur featherweight belt before losing it at NEF 45 to a very tough Billy "The Kid" Wilson. Which one of these featherweights will come out with their first professional win on February 12th?
Urias Osorio (0-0) vs. Zac Richard (1-0)
Urias Osorio (0-0) fights out of RPA MMA in Florida and is looking to make his professional MMA debut against Zac Richard (1-0) out of Evolution Athletix. Osorio has a 3-0 professional boxing record and will be going against Richard who has renowned wrestling experience. Richard is coming off a victory in his pro MMA debut against Carl Langston (0-7) at NEF 45, and brings a serious following with him every time he steps foot in the NEF cage. Will Osorio beat Richard on the feet or will Richard manage one of his famous slams and get the victory in a typical Richard grinding affair?
Glory Watson is no stranger to the NEF cage, competing within it 7 times as an ammy and pro. Watson trains out of Young's MMA in Bangor, Maine and will be taking on Alibeth Milliron who represents Ludus Mixed Martial Arts out of Michigan. Milliron strung together an impressive 7-3 record as an ammy before turning pro, and not holds an undefeated professional record of 2-0. This fight will definitely be an exciting one and we will see a lot of heavy hits. Will Watson bump up to 2-1 or will Milliron maintain her perfect record and steal the Fury's fury?
In a lightweight scrap, Maine's won Caleb Hall will be putting his undefeated record on the line as he takes on a very experienced Jerome Mickle from Brooklyn, NY. The soft-spoken Hall has quietly built himself up as one of the best lightweights in the region. Hall now trains out of Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is considered one of the top MMA gyms in the world. The former 2 time Maine wrestling state champion will surely utilizing his strength and grappling prowess to get Mickle to the ground and force a tap via a submission, but Mickle has faced some serious competition in his career, and won't rollover easy.
Amateur Bouts
Tim Murray (1-1) vs. Quinn Poirier (0-0)
Tim Murray (1-1) trains under Primo Bellarosa at Vision Quest Muay Thai in Newport, Maine. His last fight he won via TKO via leg kicks after bouncing back from a loss in his debut. He will be facing Quinn Poirer (0-0), who is making his amateur debut out of First Class MMA in Brunswick, Maine. We don't know much about Poirier, but the fighting chef is showing drastic improvement since training at VQMT. Will Murray come back with a triumph or will the rookie fighter Poirer show up and shut him down?
An interesting matchup here with 2 amateur welterweights who are trying to find their footing within the fight game. Jon Assam (2-3) trains at CMBJJ in Lewiston, ME, and he'll be fighting Justin Kangas (0-3) from First Class MMA. This should be an exciting fight and we should be expecting some brawling in the cage. Both guys have seen some struggles inside the cage when it comes to results, and often times these type of matchups turn out to be bangers, so let's see what they bring on February 12th. Will Justin Kangas manage to pick up his first win or will Jon Assam even out his record?
Cody Kilton (1-1) trains at First Class MMA and is coming off of a huge KO win at NEF 44. He will be toe to toe with Kaleb Kenney (0-1), who trains under Team Nitemare in Jonesport, ME. Kaleb suffered a loss during his amateur debut, but he's looking to bounce back and show the NEF faithful that he's better than his record represents. Will Kaleb pick up his first win or will Cody come back with another huge KO victory?
Brandon Maillet-Fevens was originally scheduled to take on Emmett Huber in this lightweight bout, but Huber had to pull out recently due to injury. BMF most recently took on the aforementioned Nate Grimard in a featherweight title bout, which didn't end up going his way. Ben Grady trains under Devin Powell at Nostos MMA, and has show some serious promise in his first two ammy bouts. This will definitely be a test for him, and this fight should smothered by a grinding, high-energy pace.
Mike Murray (3-2) vs. Zach Faulkner (4-1) (WELTERWEIGHT TITLE)
“Magic” Mike Murray (3-2) is making his way back to the NEF cage after a few years since his last appearance. The former marine will be taking on Zach Faulker (4-1) who trains out of Recon MMA in Westbrook, ME. They will be competing for the vacant welterweight belt, and is definitely one of the fights that I have circled on the card. Mike Murray has shown exceptional jiu jitsu skills through his young career, but will his jiu jitsu outmatch Zach’s technical stand up and wrestling? Only time will tell.
Tyler Smythe (3-1) (C) vs Ryan Burgess (3-2) (FLYWEIGHT TITLE)
Tyler Smythe (3-1) trains out of Evolution Athletix in Saco, ME, and he will be defending his belt against Ryan Burgess (3-2), who was the flyweight champion back in 2015. Smythe is coming off an impressive victory over Caleb Austin (5-1) at NEF 45 where he claimed the NEF amateur flyweight belt. Burgess took a 3 year long hiatus from the cage and is looking to take back his crown. Will Smythe keep the belt around his waist or will Burgess come back and show us that he is in fact the champ?
NEF has their 10th anniversary card as possibly one of the most exciting cards in a long time. I am expecting fireworks and some amazing fights. Looking forward to seeing who else is being added to the card! Remember 2/12/22! See you there!
