09/13/2026
𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙀𝙎 𝘾𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝙎 𝙂𝙊𝙇𝘿, 𝙅𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙍𝙀𝙈𝘼𝙄𝙉𝙎 𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙀𝘿, 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙒𝙃𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙂𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙍𝙀𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙄𝙉 𝙍𝙐𝙈𝙁𝙊𝙍𝘿
Saturday night’s second all-amateur New England Fights combat sports card of the summer at Rumford Falls Auditorium was billed as a “rumble,” promoted with the modern vernacular of “running it back.”
For local hero Bryce Whittemore, the chance to bask in one more deafening roar inside these hallowed halls before another sold-out throng at “NEF 68: Rumble in Rumford” was about another r-word: redemption.
Whittemore, nearly a decade separated from his glory days as a three-time state champion wrestler at nearby Dirigo High School, stole the show with a resounding technical knockout of Tyler “The Apex” Campbell in their mixed martial arts collision at a catchweight of 160 pounds.
“A whole hell of a lot better than the first one, I’ll tell you that,” Whittemore said. “It feels amazing coming out here, another opportunity in front of my friends and family.”
Billed as representing Team Rumford, Whittemore (1-1) dominated Campbell (1-1) from bell to wave-off with a relentless assault.
Whittemore took his foe to the mat immediately, quickly got his back, rained bombs, briefly locked in a choke, then unleashed another barrage until he earned the stoppage.
“I’ve got to give it up to Tyler on the other side,” Whittemore said. “This s**t isn’t easy. It takes a special person to come out here.”
Both fighters debuted in July as part of “NEF 67: Brawl at Town Hall” with polar-opposite results.
Fighting out of All Day Martial Arts, Campbell eked out a majority decision over Zakariya Mohamud, while Whittemore got caught in a standing guillotine 22 seconds into his clash with Avry Jones.
Whittemore had a laundry list of NEF mainstays to thank for helping him flip the script.
“JB (Jason Bell), Mike (Hansen), Ryan (Burgess), Nate (Boucher), Preston (Garland), all the guys I worked with the last eight weeks or so,” Whittemore said. “I couldn’t have done it without them. I owe all this to them. It feels amazing. I couldn’t ask for more than this, especially after last time.”
His first foray into the cage after a lifetime of competing as a wrestler, then coaching at his alma mater, was initially touted as a one-and-done.
The quick loss and an equally rapid invitation to try and balance the ledger changed Whittemore’s mind. So, what now?
“What’s next for me is a barstool at the Hotel Rumford,” he said with a satisfied smile. “I’ll see you there.”
Whittemore’s win was one of eight bouts, seven in the MMA realm and one kickboxing. All but one ended shy of the scheduled distance in a night of dramatic momentum swings and furious finishes.
In the main event, Sam Charles (3-0) of First Class MMA and Choi Institute took down Florida’s Omar Zarazua (3-3) of Dade City BJJ and MMA to win the vacant NEF amateur lightweight title.
A man of few words, Charles delivered his loudest message with a tapout to rear naked choke at 52 seconds of the second round.
“Someone can try and take this (belt) from me if they feel like it,” he said.
On the heels of his choke-out against Whittemore, Jones (3-0) of Black Bear BJJ & Fitness stayed undefeated with his third consecutive stoppage in the first round.
This time, a vicious head kick caught Ben Rogers (1-3) of The Academy and hastened the end just one second before the bell in their 160-pound clash.
Jones bounced back from an early slam by Rogers that more than caught his attention.
“I was just really friggin’ angry,” he said. “That hurt. I got dropped on my fat head, and it friggin’ hurt, so I got pissed.”
After the kick, Jones delivered a knee and then a power punch against the cage for the finish of the night.
Jones also choked Tyler Murray into submission early in his debut. Rogers was a third-round TKO victim of Charles on the previous Rumford docket.
“I just want to say to my family, my friends and my teammates in the stands, I love you all,” Jones said. “I love my team. I wouldn’t be as good as I am if it wasn’t for you guys, so thank you. This win is yours as much as mine.”
Jethro Pease (2-0) of First Class MMA spoiled the debut of Cayden Childs (0-1) from Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by rear naked choke at 1:30 of round two.
Fighting this time at 165 pounds, Pease won his first match by second-round TKO, as well, at “NEF 66: Salute.”
“It felt fu***ng great. That was a hell of a fight,” Pease said. “I feel better than last time, so that’s a start.”
Tyree Durham (2-1) of Karasu Tengu Academy took down a respected veteran of the NEF cage, Qasim Abdullah (5-4) of Choi Institute, by TKO to strikes at 1:40 of the third round in a featherweight scrap.
Durham used his wrestling acumen to gain control and set up the ground-and-pound grand finale.
“Into the second and third rounds, I was getting more comfortable,” Durham said. “I knew I was beating him in the grappling, so I had to stick to the game plan and get the takedown right away.”
Location, location and location also admittedly were factors in the victory.
“Good thing I carried him over to my corner here, because they were nonstop talking in my ear, telling me what to do,” Durham said. “I’m glad I did that.”
Nick Kotiw (1-0) of Recon Fitness enjoyed a stellar debut with a tap to rear naked choke at the expense of Avery Santiago (1-3), representing New England Top Team. The end came at 2:06 of the second round.
“It feels great. I’m not surprised, though. You know what I’m saying?” Kotiw said. “I train with the best team in New England. We’ve got some killers. We’ve got Danny (Buteau, undefeated Maine pro) over there.”
A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Kotiw wrestles at the University of Southern Maine after transferring from Bluefield State (West Virginia) University.
“I train hard every day,” Kotiw said. “I’ve got killers in the room with me. They push me to the edge. I knew exactly what was going to happen.
Kotiw took a measured approach and gained the upper hand after an early exchange of takedowns.
“That was the game plan. I knew my wrestling was going to be better, so (the plan was) touch him on the feet,” Kotiw said. “He initiated the wrestling, but I knew I was able to scramble and get my takedowns and then smash from there.”
In the lone women’s bout of the evening, pitting first-time MMA combatants, Georgia Smith (1-0) of The Academy defeated Deanna Carfagno (0-1) of Titan Athletics at 2:03 of the first round by tap to guillotine.
Carfagno made two failed bids at the same potential submission hold in the featherweight bout before Smith secured hers.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t (concerned), but my coaches at The Academy had me prepared to win a tough fight, and that’s what I did,” Smith said.
Joey Lawrence (2-0) of New England Top Team brought his high energy back to Rumford and stayed perfect in the kickboxing discipline with a majority decision over David Foss (1-2) at a catchweight of 150.
“First of all, I want a big round of applause for David,” Lawrence said. “David was incredible. Did you guys see him kicking me in the head? I’m not even going to lie. My ear is kind of ringing right now. Those were some crazy kicks.”
A second-round knockdown gave the crowd-pleasing Lawrence a chance to flex those theatrics.
“I was looking for a highlight reel, if I’m going to be honest,” he said. “I dropped him and immediately went over and knelt down like a samurai. I thought it’d be kind of cool.”
By sending Foss to the deck, Lawrence made the winning impression on two judges who gave him a 29-27 edge on their cards. The third observer scored it even at 28-28.
“It’s incredible. I love being in here. I love putting in the hard work,” Lawrence said. “Anyone who’s fighting out here knows how difficult the training process is. To come out here and give it your all, and for it to pay off, it’s one of the greatest feelings in the world.”
Buteau lost to Dom Dyer in a one-round grappling exhibition, but one of the big news drops of the night was the announcement of his first pro title fight.
Buteau will fight Tayvonne “The Tasmanian Devil” Thomas at “NEF 69: Crossfire” in November. Both men are 3-0 in the cage.
“Anybody can get it,” Buteau said of the local delegation that seemingly isn’t lining up to fight him anytime soon. “Obviously, Matt (Peterson, MMA co-owner and matchmaker) has to fly in guys from New York, Florida, wherever. They (potential in-state opponents) know who they are. They’re sitting at home right now.”
“NEF 69: Crossfire,” which will be held in the main arena at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, is shaping up as one of the biggest cards in the history of the promotion.
In a local grudge match, Ed “WAR” Davis (4-1) will take on CJ Ewer (4-3) with the NEF welterweight title at stake. Ewer defeated Davis’ friend and training partner, Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington, in his most recent showing.
“I can’t wait to get back in the cage in Bangor and walk out with the belt,” Davis said.
Making his first NEF appearance in nearly a decade, Bucksport native Ray “All Business” Wood (8-5), now based in Florida, will lock up with Ali “V.I.P.” Zebian (10-7).
“The love, the support from Maine has been the best thing with this trip, man,” Wood said after seconding Zarazua in Saturday’s title bout. “I plan on putting on a show in Bangor. It’s a tough matchup coming back, but I’ve taken nothing but tough fights my entire career.”
Other scheduled fights that could be main events on any card in the state include Boyington vs. Gerald Meuse, Ryan Sanders vs. Jhony dos Santos, and Nate Boucher vs. Brian Cosco. In another bout announced Saturday, Edwin Peña will make his pro debut.
“NEF 69: Crossfire” is scheduled for Saturday, November 14 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. To purchase tickets, go to www.ticketmaster.com.
