FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (July 18, 2014) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA), the Northeast’s premier mixed martial arts promotion, today announced that the company had awarded a scholarship to a local athlete to attend the 2014 “Brawlin’ Lobsta Wrestling Camp” hosted by the University of Southern Maine (USM). This year’s camp is scheduled to be held at USM’s Gorham campus from July 22nd through July 25th. Earlier this summer, NEF MMA announced that the promotion would choose one Maine athlete to sponsor through the camp. After reviewing dozens of entries, Jett Gould, a 13 year-old Mount Ararat Middle School student in Topsham, Maine, was chosen as the recipient of the sponsorship, and NEF MMA will pay his tuition to the camp this summer.
“This is an example of our promotion’s dedication to the Maine community,” stated NEF MMA co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “The Maine wrestling scene has produced so many great MMA fighters. Who knows what the future holds? The next ‘Mike Brown’ could very well be in the system right now. We’ll never know until we find him or her.”
Mike Thomas Brown, or “MTB,” (26-9) won a state wrestling championship in 1992 for Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Maine. He went on to win the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight championship and currently competes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Brown can often be found cage-side as a guest of honor at NEF MMA events. NEF MMA regulars like Jesse Peterson (7-4) and John Raio (2-5) have also won state wrestling championships in Maine. Countless others on the fight promotion’s roster have competed in the state’s wrestling program.
This past year, Jett Gould rose from a junior varsity wrestler to co-captain of the varsity team. He received the “Most Improved Wrestler” award. Like many wrestlers whose hard work and dedication translate into other areas, Jett is a scholastic standout as well, finishing the school year as a member of the honor roll. In addition, Jett trains in MMA at John’s Raio’s First Class Fitness and MMA gym located in Brunswick, Maine.
“I am dedicated to the sport, and I train any opportunity that I get at First Class MMA with coaches John Raio and John Gardner,” said Jett when reached for comment.
According to Jett’s coach, John Raio, “Jett represents everything we want our gym to be at a very young age. Many of the younger children at our school look up to him and aspire to be more like him. I have not seen a more dedicated young man who is willing and motivated to learn and we are thankful to have him. I see Jett progress in every component of MMA on a weekly basis. He balances school, family and MMA classes. In addition to his love for the mixed martial arts, he also enjoys hunting with his father Chris. He treats his parents and younger brother with respect and appreciation. In the event that he steps into the NEF cage in the future, I know that he will train harder than anyone else and compete with sportsmanship.”
NEF MMA’s next event, “NEF XIV,” is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with a bell time of 7:00 pm. In the main event of the evening, Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (31-9) returns to Maine to face fellow UFC veteran Christian Morecraft (8-3) for the Super-Heavyweight Title. 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 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 MMA 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 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.