Dr. Steve Bang brought along the family to New England Fights’ NEF XXIV event Saturday; Bang’s four sons also fought, with two of the four walking away with quick victories.

The event was billed as “Promised Land,” but seemed more like another episode of “My Three Sons” for the Bang family. But there was a fourth son in the mix, too, with Bang standing in for actor and patriarch Fred McMurray.

The wiry Bang earned a couple of takedowns in the first round, but things got serious in the second round, when Bang took down opponent Stacy Lupo and remained on top of Lupo before Lupo flipped Bang at the bell. Lupo belted Bang in the third round and dazed the doctor, but Bang tried to take him down and succeeded a second time, and Bang stayed on top and pounded on Lupo before Bang was declared the winner by TKO.

“It is such an honor on the eve of Fathers’ Day to be able to do this sport with my sons,” Dr. Bang said. “I tell people I was a wrestler and combat fighter (in the U.S. Armed Forces).”

Bang said he used a series of takedowns because his “striking is still in its infancy.”

Steven Bang Jr. was the first of the four sons to enter the cage. He faced Dom Cofone, but the fight lasted only one round. Bang Jr. was declared at the winner after using a guillotine move 2:04 into the first.

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“That was the game plan, but I am not used to everything going as planned,” Bang Jr. said.

Bang Jr. was equally impressed with his father’s hard-fought victory.

“It is incredible to live in the shadow of my father,” Bang Jr. said. “He gives us motivation.”

Skylar Bang followed his brother Steve’s lead and won in the first round. Skylar used a rear naked choke to subdue Eddie Deroche 2:19 into the first round.

“No idea how that (choke) happened,” Skylar said. “I saw an opening and took it.”

Conner Murphy, Dr. Bang’s foster son, was hoping to make it three in a row, but although Murphy fought valiantly, Justin Witham won using a rear naked choke.

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Another brother, Shawn Bang, ended up being knocked out by Mike Bezanson 51 seconds into the first round.

But Dr. Bang was proud of all his sons and said: “They are amazing.”

In a women’s MMA fight, Alex Walker subdued Nicole Burgess with an arm bar tapout.

In another MMA fight, Dustin Veinott dismissed Ryan Burgess with a TKO.

The venue returned to boxing after the Veinott-Burgess fight. Russell Lamour of the Portland Boxing Club beat Roberto Valenzuela with a first-round TKO.

Brandon Berry went the distance with James Lester and came out top in the seven-round fight.

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The evening ended with two professional MMA bouts.

Matt Denning and Brandon Bushaw spent the entire first tangled up with each other with no winner declared in MMA professional bout. The second round went the same way, with Bushaw gaining the upper hand in the third round. Bushaw used a kimura (submission) to win and was declared the victor 2:24 in the third round.

The final MMA fight of the evening came when Jesse Erickson squared off against Amos Collins. This bout didn’t last long. Jesse Ericsson knocked out Amos Collins with devastating knew to the head.

In the first boxing match of the night, Steve Collins Jr. came out as the aggressor and never stopped hammering away at Jose Humberto Corrall in a six-round cruiserweight bout. Collins, who travelled from Ireland, used all six rounds to dispatch Corrall, from Mexico. Collins tagged Corrall several times, winning by unanimous decision.

In the second fight, Casey Kramlich, a member of the Portland Boxing Club, went right after Zennon Herrera, knocking Herrera down in the second round. Kramlich went after a bleeding Herrerra in the third round and dropped him again for the TKO victory.

Francesco Mirelles didn’t mess around in an eight-round heavyweight bout. Mirelles followed Vinnie Carita all around the ring and then dropped Carita 27 seconds into the second round, winning by TKO.


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