FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (September 20, 2018) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its final mixed-martial-arts event of 2018, “NEF 36: Battle for the Gold,” on Saturday, November 17 at Aura in Portland, Maine. Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of an amateur bantamweight title fight to the card. Kam Arnold (4-0) is scheduled to defend his championship against challenger Walt Shea (3-1) at a fight weight of 135-pounds.
It’s hard to deny that 2018 has belonged to Kam Arnold. He has proved himself to be one of the deadliest finishers on the NEF roster. Following up on two highlight-reel knockouts earlier in the year, Arnold faced Killian Murphy (1-1) last June in Portland for the vacant bantamweight title. Arnold and Murphy made history as the first amateur title fight in Maine history to enter the fourth round. It was in that round that Arnold scored yet another technical knockout win and, in doing so, became the new NEF Amateur Bantamweight Champion. Arnold trains with Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) based in Lewiston, Maine. The fight with Shea on November 17 will mark Arnold’s first defense of his title.
“I’m very excited for my first title defense in NEF,” said Arnold. “It’s been a fun ride over these last two years, and it’s just begun. To be fighting a guy like Walt is a pretty big deal for me – he’s a wicked tough guy with a lot of heart and flat-out he is going to make me work for it. He’s an inspiration to many and will be a great fight overall. With all of that being said, I’ll continue to put in more work than before. I also hope to answer the questions there are about me, if any. Walt’s in my way of solidifying my spot as number one – and that’s a dangerous spot for him to be in.”
Walt Shea made his NEF debut two years ago in September at “NEF 25.” A member of First Class MMA based out of Brunswick, Maine, Shea won his first two bouts by decision prior to picking up his first loss at “NEF 30” in August 2017 in Bangor, Maine in a hard-fought contest against Fred Lear (5-2) for the bantamweight title. Shea rebounded from that loss with a technical knockout win over Nate Boucher (2-3) earlier this year at “NEF 33” in Portland. Including the “NEF 30” fight with Lear, November 17 will mark Shea’s second attempt to capture the amateur bantamweight title.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to challenge for the title again,” said Shea. “Kam’s a tough dude that has brought it in every one of his fights. I’ve never been in a boring fight myself, so I can guarantee this will be entertaining for the fans.”
NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 36: Battle for the Gold,” will see the company make its return to Aura in Portland, Maine. The event is scheduled to take place Saturday, November 17, 2018 with a bell time of 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now at www.AuraMaine.com.
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.
