Print Story
Email StoryWith the rise of Ultimate Fighting Championship to the status of a major league in the world of mixed martial arts, a southern New Jersey businessman sees the need for a developmental program. To this end, Reid Scott Morgan created New Breed Fighters, an amateur organization that provides experience for up-and-coming fighters.
"Obviously, all these guys that go to the next level are physically capable of getting there," says Morgan, a food supplier who lives in Berlin, Camden County. But, he adds, many fail to make the transition from a small dojo to the pressure of a pay-per-view event. "This is a huge jump for these kids. It's like going from high school football to the NFL.
"We're giving them the (bright) lights," Morgan says. "And there's nobody in the country that I believe is taking this to the level that we are. And I think eventually we will be seeing a better professional fighter coming out of our region due to the fact that we have a better amateur program."
House of Blues Presents New Breed Fighters on Saturday, June 21, at Atlantic City's Showboat Casino-Hotel. The card will include more than 30 fights; in addition to southern New Jersey, the fighters will come from 27 gyms or clubs in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. The ages of the fighters vary from 18 to 43.
The rules, according to Morgan, conform to the mixed martial arts regulations as stipulated by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. As with Ultimate Fighting Championship, the fighters are schooled in a variety of martial arts, notably karate, kickboxing and jujitsu, in addition to boxing and wrestling. Each bout consists of three three-minute rounds, and fighters are declared winners by knockout, choke out or tap out.
Like Ultimate Fighting Championship, Morgan contends mixed martial arts is safer than boxing. "Here's the reason why it's safer," Morgan, 49, says. "There's an accumulation of head shots that are taken in the course of both sports. (But) in boxing it's way more."
New Breed Fighters, which debuted in May 2007 at Atlantic City's House of Blues, has presented roughly a dozen events, including an event in late April at Club Abyss in Sayreville, Middlesex County. Thus far, the average attendance at House of Blues has been roughly 1,000; Morgan estimates he can turn a profit at 1,700.
Morgan wants to establish New Breed Fighters nationally, with headquarters in four regions. "What I'm trying to do is reach out to that casual fan because it's a great sport," he says. "It's growing like crazy."