Lewiston, Maine (August 11, 2016) – New England Fights (NEF) returns to Lewiston on September 10, 2016 with the fight promotion’s next event, “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLAINS.” NEF executives announced earlier today that Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (7-5) and Jon Lemke (5-6) will square off for the second time in their respective careers. Lemke won the first meeting at NEF’s co-promotion with Bellator, “Bellator 93,” in the spring of 2013. The bout will take place in the 155-pound lightweight division.
Originally scheduled to take place earlier this month at “NEF Presents Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” in Bangor, Erickson-Lemke II was postponed when Erickson suffered an injury in training. Devin Powell (8-1) stepped in to replace Erickson in the bout. While he was stopped late in the first round, Lemke put on a valiant performance, shattering Powell’s nose in the process. Lemke hopes to get back on the winning track at “NEF 25.”
“My last couple of performances have been a bit disappointing for me as a fighter, so I wanted to fight again as soon as possible and figure this out,” said Lemke. “I am incredibly grateful for another opportunity to fight for NEF. I am learning how to separate who I am as a person and man versus who I am as a fighter when I step in to that cage. This will enable me to stop holding back and really leave it all in the cage. Jesse is a fighter through and through and this will be a great battle for sure.”
Erickson, on the other hand, is coming off a brutal knockout victory over Amos Collins (4-5) this past June. It was just the latest in a string of improved striking performances from Erickson in the past couple of years. He says that he will welcome the opportunity to stand and exchange with Lemke should the opportunity present itself.
“I can’t wait to step into the NEF cage against Jon,” said Erickson. “I have a lot of respect for him. He is a talented well rounded fighter and always puts on a show. He beat me in my pro debut, but that was years ago and I’m very excited to show everyone how far I’ve come. I’m not the same fighter I was then and now that I’ve recovered from injury, I look forward to competing against him. Most people expect me to look for the takedown to utilize my jiu jitsu, but I love to strike and want to show him and everyone else that I’ve got Thor’s hammer in these hands. If he thinks the outcome will be the same and he will walk through me, it’ll be a rough night for him. Victory or Valhalla.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 25: HEROES & VILLAINS,” takes place on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.
For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”