PROFESSIONAL LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT ADDED TO NEF XIII LINEUP

Posted on | February 17, 2014 | No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (February 17, 2014) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) today announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the fight promotion’s May 10 card scheduled to take place at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. The fight, which will be contested at a weight of 155-pounds, will feature “The Junkyard Dog” Ryan Cowette (2-2) in action against Tollison Lewis (0-1).

Cowette is the owner and head coach of MMA Athletix in Bath, Maine. After a stellar amateur career that saw him ranked amongst the region’s elite, Cowette got off to a slow start in his professional career, going 0-2. In recent months, however, Cowette has stormed back, earning decisive victories over Jesse Erickson (2-2) and Dave Claroni (0-2) in November 2013 and February 2014 respectively. Just days after his victory over Claroni, NEF MMA offered Cowette a multi-fight contract to remain with the fight promotion for an extended period.

“I’m excited to sign with NEF and confident they will do a great job promoting me as a Fighter, and MMA Athletix as a school,” said Cowette when reached for comment. “Also, I’m looking forward to Fighting Tollison in my first fight as a lightweight. He is a strong opponent. I feel I have the edge in this fight. I’m on a roll, strong in every area of the fight game, and will be pushing hard to fight as much as possible. My goal is the Lightweight Belt.”

Lewis, who trains out of Balanced Ground MMA in Windham, Maine, is coming off a loss at NEF XII earlier this month to Jesse Erickson. The bout was Lewis’ professional debut for NEF MMA, and it ended via submission with only seconds remaining in the first round. Although Lewis lost the fight, many in attendance were quick to notice a new maturity to Lewis’ game accompanied by a chiseled physique and superb striking. Several pundits have predicted Lewis to play a leading role in the professional lightweight division of NEF MMA. Undoubtedly, he will be looking to make his impact on the division with a victory on May 10.

“I’m very excited to fight again,” said Lewis. “I wish it were tomorrow. I have the utmost respect for Ryan. He owns and operates a gym and that makes him even more of a viable threat. However, I also know I will come into this fight with superior striking and conditioning, with a daily improvement of BJJ. Ryan likes to come in heavy for fights and I think this will negatively affect him. Come May, he better be ready because losing is not an option for me. I know he will be ready, so it should be a hell of a fight. Thanks to NEF and the Maine fans for supporting mixed martial arts. Hope to see you all in May.”

“NEF XIII” is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine with a bell time of 7:00 pm. Already announced, Maine State MMA Bantamweight Champion Paul Gorman (10-8) defends against undefeated Kin “Kong” Moy (5-0). In addition, “The” Ryan Sanders (6-4) will rematch Maine State MMA Welterweight Champion Gil de Freitas (15-5) nearly two years after de Freitas defeated Sanders for the inaugural title. Tickets for “NEF XIII” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling The Colisee 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 MMA videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

About New England Fights

New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (“NEF MMA”) is a Mixed Martial Arts promotions company. NEF MMA’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF MMA’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.