BANGOR, Maine — Five Bangor-area mixed martial arts fighters are set to perform in front of one of the most influential people in their sport Friday night when a card created for the “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” internet reality show is held in the grand ballroom of the Cross Insurance Center.
White, a 1987 Hermon High School graduate who has a home in Levant, is president of the world’s top MMA promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his show’s premise takes White and cohorts Matt Serra and Din Thomas to local events around the country in search of potential UFC talent.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Aaron Lacey, one of four fighters based at Bangor’s Young’s MMA who will be competing, said. “Dana White’s coming to town, which in and of itself is a big deal, obviously. And for us who have aspirations to reach the next level, he’s the guy who can make that all happen.”
Lacey, 1-0 as a professional, will face 3-3 John Santos of Derry, New Hampshire, in a featherweight (145-pound) contest, one of eight bouts on the card being produced by Lewiston-based New England Fights.
Other Bangor-area fighters scheduled to participate are Ryan Sanders, Josh Harvey and C.J. Ewer of Young’s MMA and Jon Lemke of Team Irish MMA Fitness Academy in Brewer.
“It’s a great opportunity to show Dana White that not only for myself but for Young’s MMA that we have the talent, and he should be keeping an eye out for us up here in little old Bangor, Maine,” said Sanders, who is 10-8 as a professional.
But while the chance to catch White’s attention is a major reason for fighters to compete on this card, the rare opportunity to fight in front of hometown fans may be an even bigger allure for some of the local combatants.
This will be just the third MMA card ever held in Bangor. White brought a UFC Fight Night show that included Lincolnville native Tim Boetsch to the Cross Center in August 2014, and NEF staged an outdoor event at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in July 2013.
“The biggest thing for me is that this fight is in Bangor,” said Sanders, who will fight 11-7 Derrick Kennington of Conway, South Carolina, in a lightweight (155-pound) match. “I was supposed to fight in Bangor on the waterfront, and the guy I was supposed to fight called the day before and said he wasn’t coming up.
“I’ve been fighting for five years, and this is my first real opportunity to fight in Bangor, and Dana being here will be icing on the cake. Plus, this is the first time in my fighting career I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed the night before a fight.”
There also may be a financial benefit for the local fighters competing on the card, in that their pay for this show is tied directly to a percentage of the ticket revenue they generate and many of them are finding it much easier to sell tickets to area fans for a Bangor fight than for other NEF cards 100 miles away in Lewiston.
“I have a lot fans who aren’t as affluent as some people in town, and it’s a big deal for them to have to buy a ticket, travel down to Lewiston, get food and travel back,” Lacey, a Brewer High School graduate, said. “It can be quite a costly trip, so having it come to Bangor is just huge.”
The Cross Center’s grand ballroom seats 1,200. While tickets are still available, the local MMA community is hopeful a big crowd might lead NEF to return to the Queen City sooner than the current three-year gap between appearances.
“It would be great if they realize that Young’s MMA and Team Irish both have huge fanbases up here,” Sanders said. “There are definitely people up here who would like to see live MMA right in their backyard. We’re hoping this opens their eyes to that and they can see that there’s some profit and some reason to come up here more often.”
Lemke and Ewer both fought on NEF’s Bangor waterfront card, and Ewer is excited about his opportunity for a return engagement.
“My primary interest is fighting in Bangor,” Ewer, a former wrestler at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft who is 1-0 as a professional, said. “I have a huge hometown crowd coming to Bangor for this, and for me being able to represent Young’s MMA in Bangor and having all my friends and all my family there … everyone I know is going to be there.
“I’d say for half of the people who are coming to see me it will be the first time they’ve seen me fight.”
While many of the combatants hope to create at least an MMA memory for White to take away with him, the 36-year-old Ewer has a different outlook on this opportunity as he prepares for his welterweight (170-pound) bout against Ruben Redman of Jonesport.
“For me it’s more the bucket list,” said Ewer, who serves on active duty with the Air National Guard. “I’m going to love to fight in front of Dana White and Matt Serra because they’re pioneers of the sport, and I’ll be so happy and content to be able to say I’ve done that — I hope I get the chance to meet them.
“But I’m full-time military here, I have a career, I’m fully vested in here in Bangor. I have three little girls I’m raising, and it would have to be a pretty incredible opportunity for me to ever consider leaving Maine.”
