Rumble at Resorts
Grassroots mixed-martial-arts promoter New Breed Fighters will heat up the Superstar Theater again with back-to-back fight nights in Atlantic City.

By Ray Schweibert Add Comment | Comments: 4 | Posted Apr. 27, 2010
Luis Finateri and Fabiano Fregonezi battle it out in a super lightweight New Breed Fighters bout at Resorts in November 2009.
New Jersey’s role in helping to grow mixed martial arts (MMA) into the spectator extravaganza it is today may exceed that of any other state. Likewise, a promotional company called New Breed Fighters (NBF) has been at the forefront of offering the athletes themselves a springboard from which to start, and a forum in which to work.

Under the direction of Scott Morgan, NBF has staged a series of events in Atlantic City with increasing popularity, including two full slates of bouts scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 30-May 1, at Resorts Superstar Theater. Saturday’s 13-bout fight card will mark the 30th event put on by NBF since it came to Atlantic City in May 2007. All of the fighters involved are of amateur status, and many will be making their debut in the ring of combat.

“We first did fights at House of Blues, then for about the past two years we’ve held them at Resorts,” says Morgan, NBF’s president and CEO. “It’s a tough racket and was a bit of a struggle at first, but we’ve added an element of professionalism and entertainment value to the product that we deliver. I have done professional events successfully, but the majority of my shows are for amateur athletes. It’s a developmental program that we’re a part of. My concept is to put young, rising athletes into a professional environment that puts professional demands on them.”

Friday night’s main event will pit Mike “The Inferno” Andrillo against Dan “Bear” Hughes for the NBF junior heavyweight (210-pound limit) title. Andrillo is 4-1 as an amateur, Hughes is 3-2. Saturday has two main events. Unbeaten Jordan Stiner (3-0) will face Tom Philippi (4-2) for the NBF super welterweight (154-pound limit) belt, and Kyle Rigby (4-3) will take on unbeaten Brandon Van Cleeve (3-0) for the light heavyweight title (175 pounds).

“We’ve been averaging about eight [events] a year, and we’re fortunate to have increased our casual fan base,” adds Morgan. “Our fighters’ friends and family constitute the majority of our fan base, but we have seen, especially since we moved to Resorts, that the demographic is increasing and the casual fan base — which is what I call the groups or individuals who are not directly affiliated with a fighter or a team that’s participating — has grown steadily.”

Watch: “Vicious MMA Knockout” at Resorts New Breed fight in 2009: