LINCOLN – It wasn’t the outing Norfolk alum Conner Cowling was hoping for.
But then again, it wasn’t what his opponent, Carter Engbretson, was expecting either.
After a physical, back-and-forth three round affair, the judges ruled in the form of a draw between the two fighters in their amateur mixed martial arts heavyweight title fight at the 2026 Spring Break Brawl with Dynasty Combat Sports Friday in Lincoln.
“This was my fourth fight so far in my first year-and-a-half in MMA, so I still have a lot to learn and a lot to overcome,” Cowling said. “I’m still very green to the sport and have a lot to learn. I’ve got a big mountain to climb still; were just at the beginning.”
The path to the MMA ring goes back to a conversation Cowling had with Jordan Heiderman, a Norfolk native who represents Bomb Squad MMA out of Dodge via a comment on a Facebook post.
That one comment ended up being a life changer for Cowling as well.
“I was going down a bad path at that point in my life,” Cowling said. “I just feel like that comment was God telling him to tell me to get back into the path of MMA.”
“I’ve always had a passion for the sport and always wanted to do it but didn’t know where to start. Just having Jordan reach out when I was in a bad part of my life helped change me and build me to the man I am today.”
Cowling also gives credit to his days in high school, as the 2019 state wrestling champion has been able to use what he learned on the mat an apply it to his style in the cage.
“I don’t think a lot of people knew this, but I was going to quit wrestling my sophomore year,” Cowling said. “But Coach (Tony) Brown reach out to me and was able to keep me out for it. Wrestling is my base, and it’s helped me out tremendously in this sport.”
The outcome wasn’t ideal for either fighter, but Cowling says the title fight gave him lessons he’ll carry forward as he keeps sharpening his craft less than two years into the sport.
“There’s a lot I can learn, but the biggest thing is making sure I get my mind right,” Cowling said. “I’ve had some chaotic couple of months leading up to this fight, both inside and outside of MMA.”
“As my coach always preaches, “if your life outside the cage is a mess, your life inside the cage is a mess.’ I just need to get everything lined up and make sure my life both inside and outside the cage is going good so I can focus on inside the cage more.”
And as Cowling rises in the sport, he’ll do it with the weight and pride of the town that forged him.
“Bud Crawford said a year ago that diamonds shine anywhere,” Cowling stated. “To be a kid from a small town like Norfolk and to put out for them, it just shows anyone that if you truly put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything in life.”
