When New England Fights stages its “NEF 30: Rumble in Bangor” show in the grand ballroom of Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center on Saturday night, the Lewiston-based promotion may bear witness to the most physically prepared contingent of local fighters since it it began operations in 2012.
“Sometimes when we fight in Lewiston we only have three or four guys on the card so it’s hard to get everyone on the same page as far as training,” said current NEF lightweight champion Ryan Sanders, one of seven combatants from Young’s MMA in Bangor scheduled to compete on the 11-fight card.
“But with us having so many guys on the card everyone’s been at the gym. We’ve been averaging eight or 10 or 12 guys on the mat at any given time, which has been great because you want to get the best from everybody and with that many guys you’re only going to get better.”
This will mark NEF’s third appearance in Bangor overall and first in exactly one calendar year, since the Aug. 5, 2016, event at the Cross Center that was taped for UFC president and part-time Hermon resident Dana White’s web series “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.”
“We’re super excited to be going back to Bangor,” said NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson of Rumford. “It’s our third stop up there and the first two broke records for us in various ways. We did our first outdoor show at the Waterfront four years ago and the crowd there was fantastic, then last year was historic for us in having [UFC president] Dana White attend and record his television show there.
“There was a sold-out crowd with fantastic fights and I don’t think anything is going to be different this time.”
The Cross Center’s grand ballroom has a capacity of approximately 1,200 for a mixed martial arts show, and with local fighters selling many of the tickets organizers hope for a second straight sellout even though the Bangor State Fair will be ongoing nearby as well as a concert across the street at the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion featuring One Republic.
Peterson said fewer than 200 tickets were still available as of Wednesday night.
“We offer so many different levels of competitors at different weight classes,” said Sanders of the Young’s MMA contingent. “We hope we do a good job of selling as many tickets as we can and making sure it’s a sellout.”
NEF is quite aware of Young’s status as the state’s top MMA gym thanks to a legacy that includes Sanders, Professional Fighters League lightweight Bruce Boyington and Bellator MMA veteran Ray Wood along with such rising competitors as Aaron Lacey and Josh Harvey as well as C.J. Ewer and Fred Lear, both of whom will be fighting for promotion championship belts Saturday night.
“We want to provide the platform for these guys to shine as brightly as possible,” said Peterson, “and when you’ve got the biggest MMA gym in the state with some of the biggest names you want to bring a show to their backyard and allow them to perform in front of their hometown fans.
“Certainly it’s a major consideration for us, and we want to do that for every gym that wants to grow and expand and bring more people in to train in martial arts and hopefully compete one day.”
Sanders hopes Young’s deep talent pool will entice the state’s lone MMA promotion to keep coming back to the Queen City
“That’s all we ask is for the NEF to come up to our backyard once a year,” he said. “I don’t think that’s asking too much at all. I just hopes it continues.”
EMMC nurse set for final bout
NEF 30 will include the final fight for Angela Young, wife of Young’s MMA co-owner and head trainer Chris Young as well as a mother and a registered nurse at Eastern Maine Medical Center.
Young (2-2) has been part of multiple “fight of the night” performances during her career, and will bow out with a three-round, card-opening battle against Floridian Jessica “The Black Widow” Borga (5-2).
Peterson learned of Young’s plans to conclude her MMA career earlier this week.
“I just found out, unfortunately, that this is going to be Angela Young’s last fight,” he said. “Anyone who has seen her compete understands what kind of competitor she is. She fights with the heart of a lion and always brings a performance whether she wins or loses, but win, lose or draw she said this is her final fight.”
Sea Dog to host weigh-ins
Weigh-ins for “NEF 30: Rumble in Bangor” are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at the Sea Dog Brewing Company at 26 Front St., Bangor.
The weigh-ins are free and open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend as all of the competitors on Saturday night’s card will be present.
Fighters will be available for interviews and photo opportunities. For those unable to attend, the weigh-ins will stream live on the “New England Fights” Facebook page.
