BANGOR, Maine — Jon Lemke has a new opponent for the “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” mixed martial arts card scheduled for Aug. 5 at the Cross Insurance Center.
It won’t be an unfamiliar foe, as the veteran from Team Irish MMA Fitness Academy in Brewer will take on current New England Fights’ lightweight champion Devin Powell in a three-round catchweight battle at 160 pounds.
Powell replaces Jesse Erickson of Auburn, who had to pull out of the chance to fight in front of Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White — the 1987 Hermon High School graduate who maintains a home in Levant — because of a training camp injury.
Lemke (5-5) and Powell (7-1) previously fought on May 10, 2014, with Powell scoring a first-round submission.
Powell went on to defeat Erickson by technical knockout on April 23, 2016, to claim the vacant NEF lightweight belt. If Lemke defeats Powell in their rematch, it could set up a potential third meeting for Powell’s championship.
“Once again, I am incredibly thankful and grateful to NEF for making this fight happen,” Lemke said in a news release. “I am very much looking forward to getting another crack at Devin, as I had a horrible showing in our first fight. Devin is a highly touted and talented fighter, and I expect an all-out battle, for sure. I have been looking forward to another crack at him for some time, and you will see the best Jon Lemke yet.”
Powell has won his last five fights, most recently a three-round split decision over Tommy Marcellino on the undercard of World Series of Fighting 31 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, on June 17.
“Taking a short-notice fight against Lemke was a no-brainer,” Powell said. “No way could I pass on a chance to fight a fellow Mainer a few hours away from my mom’s hometown of Allagash, Maine.”
“Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” is an internet reality show featuring the UFC president and some of his friends traveling the country to sample regional MMA promotions and offering local professional fighters the possibility of earning a UFC contract.
The main event will be a bantamweight (135-pound) matchup between Alfred Khashakyan (7-2) of Glendale, California, and Brazilian Ricardo Lucas Ramos (8-1).
