A rematch of rival Bangor-area fighters will produce a champion as mixed martial arts veterans “The” Ryan Sanders and Jon Lemke have agreed to square off on April 29 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston.
Sanders (13-8) and Lemke (6-7) will battle for the vacant New England Fights professional lightweight championship as the main event of NEF 28.
Both earned their title shots after scoring first-round victories in semifinal bouts on Feb. 11.
Sanders (13-8) used a single head kick to score a 15-second stoppage of John Ortolani at NEF 27. The win was the third straight and sixth in the last seven fights for Sanders, who trains at Young’s MMA in Bangor.
Lemke, based at Team Irish MMA Fitness Academy in Brewer, improved his record to 6-7 on the same card by ending the four-fight winning streak of Auburn’s Jesse Erickson’s via first-round technical knockout.
The title fight will be the second meeting between Sanders and Lemke in five months. Sanders scored a third-round unanimous technical decision over Lemke at NEF 26 on Nov. 19 in a bout that was stopped after Lemke suffered a deep head cut. The fight then went to the judges’ scorecards where Sanders was leading through two rounds.
“Truly an honor, and I’m very excited and grateful to be fighting for the NEF lightweight title and Ryan Sanders once again,” said Lemke recently. “I truly believe that this fight could headline any card in the world and NEF fans are not going to want to miss this one. It will be a great battle and one I very much look forward to.”
The NEF lightweight title was vacated last fall after previous champion Devin Powell signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“April 29th I’m leaving the cage with my belt,” said Sanders. “Jon is a tough opponent, but I’m the better fighter. I want it more, and I put in more work than anyone. I get my confidence from my training, and I know I’ll be ready.”
Also already scheduled for NEF 28 are bouts involving undefeated Young’s MMA teammates Aaron Lacey and Josh Harvey.
Lacey (4-0), winner of seven straight fights going back to his amateur days, faces New Hampshire’s Walter Smith-Cotito (4-5, 1 no contest) while Harvey (3-0) takes on New Yorker Eddie Mendiola (2-1) in featherweight matchups.
Smith-Cotito, from Milford, New Hampshire, lost by third-round TKO to former NEF featherweight champion and current Bellator MMA fighter Ray “All Business” Wood in March 2013. He bounced back six months later with a victory over former NEF lightweight champion and current World Series of Fighting competitor Bruce Boyington.
Smith-Cotito is 2-3-1 since then, including two Bellator losses.
Harvey, a former NEF amateur lightweight champion who was a two-time state wrestling champion from Dexter Regional High School, most recently submitted Richie Collingham at NEF 27.
Mendiola had more than 20 amateur fights before turning professional in 2015 and has scored both of his pro victories via first-round stoppages.
