White, Boetsch Thank Maine [VIDEO]

Over 5,000 Mainers witnessed the first ever UFC event in the state as Hermon native Dana White brought Fight Night to the Cross Insurance Center.The night was not only a homecoming for White, but also Camden-Hills grad Tim Boetsch who got back in the win column with a victory over Brad Tavares. Boetsch was bloodied early in the bout but kept the kick-boxing specialist Tavares in-check until he finally landed a combination of punches that forced the referee to stop the fight 3:18 into the second round.

Boetsch improves to 18-7 in his career while handing Tavares his 4th loss. It was also the first time Tavares has had a fight stopped in his 16-fight UFC career.

In the main event Ryan "Darth" Bader won a unanimous decision over Ovince Saint Preux in five rounds. Bader who was fighting through some injuries struggled to land any significant punches, instead relying on several takedowns to earn the victory.

Below are photos from Fight Night Bangor.

Fight Night Bangor was broadcast live around the world on Fox Sports 1

The crowd goes crazy for Tim Boetsch

Tim Boetsch celebrates with fans after his second round win

Ryan Bader makes his way to the cage for the main event

Post-fight press conference

UFC President and Hermon High grad Dana White talks to the media

Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch of Lincolnville paid a price for his win

Ryan "Darth" Bader talks about his win in the main event

Sara McMann won a split decision over Lauren Murphy

While the event was not a financial success, Dana White said it was a dream come true

It took three days to set up for the show, the tear down will last just a few hours