Ahsan Abdullah (right) throws a strike to his opponent Matt Turnbull at Art of War Cage Fighting 30 - Photo by William McKee
Ahsan Abdullah and Nathaniel Grimard set for featherweight explosion at NEF 56
New England Fights will present its next mixed-martial-arts event “NEF 56: Satori” on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Aura in Portland. Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional featherweight bout to the card. Nathaniel Grimard (4-3) is set to meet Ahsan Abdullah (8-12) at a fight weight of 145 pounds.
Nathaniel Grimard will return to the MMA cage for the first time since competing for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) at Madison Square Garden last August on ESPN+. Grimard has been a regular in the NEF cage since 2019. He is the former NEF Amateur Featherweight Champion. As a pro, Grimard is 4-2 with the promotion. He represents Nostos MMA based in Somersworth, New Hampshire where he trains under UFC veteran and former NEF Pro Lightweight Champion Devin Powell (10-5).
“I couldn’t be more excited to be back in the NEF cage against a very game opponent,” said Grimard. “2024 is going to be a huge year for Nostos MMA and myself, and it starts in Portland on February 3rd.”
Ahsan Abdullah will be a very familiar face to longtime fans of NEF. He competed at “NEF 1,” “NEF 2,” and “NEF 7” respectively and had a memorable rivalry with early NEF star Ray Wood (8-5). The two met as both amateurs and professionals. Abdullah will return to the promotion after a ten-year absence. During that time, he competed for global promotion Bellator as well as Art of War Cage Fighting and Maverick MMA, among others.
Doors will open at 6 pm with first fight taking place at 7 pm on February 3 at Aura in Portland, Maine for “NEF 56: Satori.”
