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\t\t\tNew England Fights will present “NEF 67: Brawl at Town Hall” in the Rumford Falls Auditorium on Saturday, July 11. The event will feature both mixed-martial-arts and kickboxing bouts.\n(Bruce Farrin\/Staff Writer)<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew England Fights will present “NEF 67: Brawl at Town Hall” in the Rumford Falls Auditorium on Saturday, July 11. The event will feature both mixed-martial-arts and kickboxing bouts.
\n(Bruce Farrin\/Staff Writer)<\/p>\n
RUMFORD \u2014 With a rich history of combat sports events dating back more than a century, Rumford regularly hosted boxing cards \u2014 at times on a weekly basis \u2014 for much of the first half of the 20th century.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, July 11, that tradition will be brought back to the Rumford Falls Auditorium at Town Hall when New England Fights (NEF) presents its next event, \u201cNEF 67: Brawl at Town Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve promoted events all over New England, but this one means something different,\u201d said NEF Co-owner Matt Peterson. \u201cRumford is my hometown. These are my roots. To bring combat sports back here after more than 50 years, in a community that has produced so many outstanding athletes, is something I\u2019ve wanted to do for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spectators will gather to view the action around a 22-foot hexagon that Peterson says will feature \u201cone of the most historically significant fight cards ever held in the River Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n
BURGESS, WHITTEMORE<\/p>\n
The event will feature former high school wrestling champions from Mountain Valley and Dirigo high schools in Rumford and Dixfield, respectively.<\/p>\n
Ryan Burgess is a former three-time wrestling state champion from Mountain Valley High School.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a former NEF flyweight champion, a title he won in 2015 \u2014 and he\u2019s coming back to try to claim it,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cRight now, our 125 title is vacant, and when he heard we\u2019re coming to Rumford, he jumped at the opportunity to get on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
The main event will be Burgess against Hussin Al-Saadi (5-2), who is one of the most feared flyweights in New England at the moment and has captured gold this year in New Hampshire, according to promoters. He represents The Choi Institute based in Portland. Burgess competes as a member of Team Lawton and holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.<\/p>\n
Bryce Whittemore, assistant wrestling coach at his alma mater, Dirigo High School, is a four-time Maine state wrestling finalist.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a three-time state champion (at Dirigo),\u201d Peterson said. \u201cLike a lot of these guys, I watched Bryce wrestle from the time he was 10 years ago, and got to see him come right up through the youth circuit. Got to watch his entire high school career.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson noted that Whittemore had a style of wrestling that he knew would translate well to MMA. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe was technical of course and you don\u2019t win three state championships without being a technical, proficient, skilled wrestler,\u201d he said. \u201cHe told me if I ever did a show in Rumford, he would get on the card. He was one of the first guys to sign on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whittemore will make his amateur debut at NEF 67 against undefeated Avery Jones, who\u2019s out of Black Bear BJJ & Fitness in Augusta.<\/p>\n
SECURITY AT THE EVENT<\/p>\n
Peterson said there is a full security team and two police officers will staff the entire event. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe contract directly with the police department to make that happen. Safety is a high priority. We\u2019re regulated by the state,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Combat Sports Authority of Maine oversees all of our events. Members of that board will be present as well as the inspectors, our security team and the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson has promoted fights in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis, I believe, is going to be our 12th venue in the state of Maine that we\u2019ve conducted an event in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in Orono, Biddeford and everywhere in between.\u201d<\/p>\n
This will be the first event that alcohol will be served in that venue, Peterson said, and The Lure Restaurant in Rumford will cater. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very fortunate,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a passionate fan base. I\u2019m very confident. The town and Select Board have been great to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson expressed appreciation for the Select Board\u2019s endorsement and to Town Manager George O\u2019Keefe for helping to secure the venue. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a responsibility that we take very seriously,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to a safe, secure entertaining night for everybody that shows up.\u201d<\/p>\n
LIFELONG FIGHT FAN<\/p>\n
Peterson said he became a fight fan when he was 7 years old when his parents took him to see the movie \u201cRocky IV\u201d at the old movie theater at Rumford Plaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what set me on this crazy fight journey I\u2019ve been on for the last 40-plus years now,\u201d he said. \u201cIt made me want to be a wrestler and then my brother was a wrestler. And my brother was the first NEF champion ever as a middleweight several years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said there have been many NEF champions from the Rumford\/River Valley area.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our most decorated fighters ever, amateur and professional Caleb Hall, was a two-time state champ from Dirigo,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI\u2019m sure this region has probably produced more fighters in mixed martial arts than any other region in the state of Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson said there are 13 bouts on the card, including three title fights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some logistical challenges, but I\u2019m hoping this goes well,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done arena shows for thousands of people and this, of course, is not going to be that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peterson said the ticket-buying public seems to be fired up about the fight. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe return of fight night to Rumford represents a natural extension of a community that has spent decades developing hard-nosed competitors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n