FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (December 17, 2019) – New England Fights (NEF) today announced the nominees for their annual Year End Awards for 2019’s “Submission of the Year.” The four nominated fighters who made their submission marks in 2019 were: Brian Cosco’s Von Flue choke over Clifford Redman at “NEF 41: COLLISION COURSE”; Nate Boucher’s rear naked choke over Steve Desjardins at NEF 41: COLLISION COURSE; Schulyer Vaillancourt’s Kimura over Dillon Henry at “NEF 38: STORMBORN”; and Josh Harvey’s armlock over Bill Jones at “NEF 37: SUBZERO.”
Josh “Hook On” Harvey (7-0-1) started the year off red hot despite the “SUBZERO” title of NEF 37 back in February. On that card, Harvey faced New England MMA veteran Bill “Jonesi” Jones (13-12) for the vacant professional NEF Featherweight Championship. Early on in the bout, Harvey turned a slip on the canvas into a single-leg takedown against Jones. Once on the ground, Harvey used his legs to lock up the interesting armlock from the bottom that earned the quick verbal submission from Jones and won Harvey the title. The official end came at 2:19 of round one.
Schulyer Vaillancourt (1-1) had a rough first round against wrestler Dillon Henry (0-3) at “NEF 38” last April, but he went on to finish the fight with one of the most elegant submissions of the year. Henry imposed his wrestling for the majority of the first round and Schuyler spent a good portion of the period fighting off a rear naked choke. The second round initially looked like much more of the same with Dillon securing a takedown early and working in Vallaincourt’s guard. Vallaincourt, however, who trains out of Nostos with UFC veteran and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) Black Belt Devin Powell (10-4), remained composed under pressure and eventually found a way to put his BJJ to work, locking in a beautiful Kimura that he repositioned to earn the tap with at 1:10 of round two.
Brian Cosco (5-8) treated “NEF41” attendees to one of two “Submission of the Year” performances when he worked Clifford “Frodo” Redman (0-11) to the mat early on in their fight with a double-leg takedown. Once on the ground, Cosco deftly worked to side control on Redman, who fought back to his feet and jumped for a guillotine. Cosco, a longtime, crafty competitor, recognized the move immediately and repositioned to lock in the devastating Von Flue choke that quickly rendered Redman unconscious. The end came at 2:12 of round one.
Nate “Backpack” Boucher (6-3) also secured his rear naked choke (RNC) nominated submission win at “NEF41” last November. Boucher, who faced NEF veteran competitor Steve Desjardins (5-4), was fighting for the second time for the NEF Flyweight Championship. Boucher took Desjardins to the mat early in the first round. “Backpack” eventually passed the high guard being held by Desjardins and spun to Steve’s back where he sank in the deep choke to earn the tap at 1:16 of the first round. It was Boucher’s third RNC-in-a-row in 2019 and his fourth-in-a-row overall.
Fan voting to determine the winner of the 2019 NEF Year End Awards “Submission of the Year” will officially open at 12:00pm on Friday, December 20, 2019 and run until 5:00pm on Thursday, December 26, 2019. Fans will determine the outcome of the contest so all are encouraged to participate to vote for their favorite fighter.
New England Fights’ next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction,” will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Tickets are on sale now at www.PortTix.com.
About NEF Year End Awards
The NEF Year End Awards are chosen annually at the conclusion of every calendar year to recognize outstanding athletic achievement and excellence in New England Fights (NEF). Nominees are selected by a qualified panel of professionals with expertise in combat sports and NEF competitions. Award Winners are determined by fan vote. All NEF Year End Awards Winners will receive a trophy to commemorate their accomplishment.
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 fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
