Derek Shorey (left) blocks a kick from Alex Clark (right) during All American Kickboxing at Factory One in Dexter on Saturday night.
DEXTER, Maine – Several Maine veterans were recognized at the Factory One Bar and Grill in Dexter Saturday night during the third All American Kickboxing event, including one who walked away with a new car.
Mike “The Mustache” Hansen, of Rumford, was given a Saab 9-3 after cornering a match for his brother, John Hansen. All American Kickboxing matchmaker and professional mixed martial artist, Josh Harvey, and Maine Veterans Project president, Shawn “Doc” Goodwin, presented the keys to the car, which was donated by Easter Seals Maine.
“These are veterans that need this car, and we’re able to provide it. That means a lot to us,” said Goodwin. “The events that give us money from the proceeds are MMA events. To have an MMA fighter receive the car brings it full circle.”
Hansen, a former combat engineer in the U.S. Army, is the founding member of Berserker’s MMA, and will be taking a 4-4 professional record to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Aug. 5 to face Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-2) in a middleweight bout. Both Hansen and Lawton lost their last fight.
The matchup is part of the “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” card promoted by New England Fights. White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a 1987 graduate of Hermon High School, will be in the Bangor area to film an episode of the internet reality show. The show centers on the travel of White and his friends as they search for fighters to sign to UFC contracts.
The kickboxing event was the third held by Harvey and MaineNightOut.com, and was the second held at the Dexter venue. The first event took place on April 1 and featured eight matches, drawing over 200 people.
The second event, which took place during Memorial Day weekend at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer, featured 14 matches, drawing nearly 400 people.
Saturday’s event featured 12 bouts with athletes from eight gyms, and drew over 300 people to Factory One.
Admission to the event was a suggested $10 donation, with 100 percent of profits going to the Maine Veteran’s Project, an organization dedicated to reducing veteran suicide rates. Nearly $650 was donated after Saturday’s event, and over $2,500 has been donated to the nonprofit from the three events.
“What it means to Maine Veterans Project is the world,” said Goodwin. “These guys have created one of the most successful fundraising campaigns for Maine Veterans Project, while at the same time creating something that is awesome for the community, which is the epitome of what Maine Veterans Project tries to do.”
“Everybody thinks they were watching an MMA fight,” added Goodwin. “What they were actually doing was helping veterans.”
The matches consisted of three two-minute rounds, and because the events are not staged under the Maine Combat Sports Authority, there are no winners or losers.
The exhibitions offer a chance for new fighters to gain experience in front of smaller crowds, instead of the larger crowds at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, the main venue for MMA events in the state.
For more experienced fighters, these bouts can serve as a tune up before going into the events they have been training for, and a chance for them to spar with fighters from different gyms.
Many of Maine’s experienced fighters who have taken part in previous All American Kickboxing events, like Harvey, did not get in the ring on Saturday because they will be fighting in front of White early next month and did not want to risk injury, even with the additional protective equipment required at the kickboxing exhibitions.
The exhibitions still packed plenty of punch, with many of the matches bringing the crowd to their feet, including the main event between professional NEF fighter, Derek Shorey, representing Dexter’s Shatterproof Combat Club, and Alex Clark of Young’s MMA in Bangor. It also gave the Dexter organization more exposure.
“I came back here to help promote the local gym” said Harvey. “I know Dexter area has a lot of tough guys and they don’t realize the opportunity they have in the Shatterproof Combat Club working out at The Outlet and the exposure they can get.”
“They can really go a long way,” added Harvey. “I believe we have a lot of talent here.”
Earlier in the evening, Shatterproof’s Devin Corson and Berserker’s Isaac Therrian exchanged blows in what many considered the fight of the night.
“Those guys put on every second of every round. They poured it out there,” said Harvey. “There was blood, sweat – nobody was crying visibly. It was a good fight.”
Another popular fight came between Hansen and Fred Lear of Young’s MMA. The match ended in the second round after Lear knocked out Hansen with a spinning back fist.
Fred Lear knocks out John Hansen with a spinning back fist in the second round of their fight at All American Kickboxing on Saturday. (Video provided by Caitlyn Wood)
Harvey is hoping to have a fourth installment of All American Kickboxing, combined with a rodeo, take place in late September in Charleston. Details for the event have not yet been finalized.
