BDN reports on mixed martial arts event at Collins Center
The Bangor Daily News advanced a recent mixed martial arts event at the University of Maine’s Collins Center for the Arts. The center hosted a New England Fights production of “NEF 40: School of Hard Knocks” on Sept. 7. “The arts is a very broad term,” said Danny Williams, executive director of the Collins Center. “There’s a form of dance that’s based off martial arts, so the lines are getting blurred and crossed all the time. Certainly there’s a production element about [MMA], and when the audience gets here they’re wanting to see some good action, which is the same thing other audiences that come here want — to see a good show.” The mixed martial arts show does mark a first for the Collins Center, though the facility’s offerings over the years have stretched beyond the performing arts, according to the article. “We had a lot of internal discussions about this when NEF approached us about this, and we said, ‘Why not?’” according to Williams.