Lewiston, Maine (December 2, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America's number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, "NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS" on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. The fight card is scheduled to feature both mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of an amateur female strawweight fight to the MMA portion of the card. Randi Beth Boyington (1-2) is scheduled to face Erin Lamonte (5-0).
The bout will be a rematch from "NEF XX" last month in Lewiston. The previous fight ended with a first-round submission victory for Lamonte. Veteran referee John English stopped the bout when it appeared as though Lamonte had an armbar locked in deep on Boyington. Per the Unified Rules of Amateur MMA, as adopted in Maine, a referee is allowed to stop a bout on a technical submission to prevent injury to a fighter.
Shortly after English stopped the fight, Boyington popped out of the armbar and began to vehemently protest the call. Her fans and supporters in the audience were incensed. They contended that Boyington was in the process of breaking free of the hold, and therefore the fight should have continued.
"Before the next fight even made it to the cage, we had at least a half-dozen messages on our Facebook page demanding a rematch," recalled NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. "Our fans are passionate. If the fans want it, and the fighters want it, then we will do a rematch. It's as simple as that."
The February 6th rematch will not be the first time a Boyington has had the opportunity to avenge a controversial submission finish in the NEF cage. Randi's husband and trainer, current NEF MMA Professional MMA Lightweight Champion Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington (12-8), defeated John "First Class" Raio (2-8) earlier this year via second-round TKO. That bout was a rematch of a February 2014 fight in which Raio submitted Bruce in a controversial stoppage by referee Jimmy Bickford.
Lamonte sees things quite differently, and is certain that she will defeat Randi for the second time at "NEF 21."
"I'm excited to get back in there with Randi Beth for NEF 21," said Lamonte. "I submitted her in front of her fans once before, I sure don't mind doing it again. This time I will lose the empathy factor as I see the ref circling, and I'll just go at the finish 100%. She should be thanking me and the ref that she wasn't maimed that night. I could be a poor sport and say a few things about Randi, as she and her fans have about me and the finish, but my mother taught me better than that. February 6th, I will prove, again, who the better fighter is in the NEF cage."
I'm ecstatic to be closed in the cage with Erin Lamonte on Feb 6th," exclaimed Randi Beth Boyington when reached for comment. "I'll be returning with a vengeance to correct a fight that was stopped too early. I'm looking to end this fight the way it should have ended on November 21st because my parents taught me: when you start something, finish it!"
New England Fights' next event, "NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS," takes place Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for "NEF 21" 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.”