Nicholas George Newell (born March 17, 1986, in

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between New Haven and Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the village of Devon and the borough of Woodmont. ...

) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

, who competes in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

division. He is notable for having a MMA career while missing one of his hands.

Early life

Newell was born with

congenital amputation Congenital amputation is birth without a limb or limbs, or without a part of a limb or limbs. It is known to be caused by blood clots forming in the fetus while ''in utero'' (vascular insult) and from amniotic band syndrome: fibrous bands of the ...

of his left arm, which ends just below his elbow. Newell has a very short yet muscular stump of his forearm which he learned from a young age to grasp objects with. Newell was born with his stump and therefore learned to use it like a hand from birth. Newell grew up playing first soccer and then baseball, but pivoted to

high school wrestling Scholastic wrestling, also known in the United States as folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially collegiate wrestling wi ...

Jonathan Law High School Jonathan Law High School is a public high school located in Milford, Connecticut, United States. It serves about 1,000 students in grades 9–12 in the Milford Public Schools system. History The school was built in the 1960s to accommodate the in ...

. On joining his wrestling team, he thought about quitting after his very first session because it was "the hardest thing I had done in my life", but his mother did not allow him to, and instead he worked hard from then on. After graduating from high school, Newell attended

Western New England University Western New England University is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Academic programs are provided through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Law, and College of Pharmacy and ...

where he continued wrestling. He has over 300 victories between high school and college in wrestling (if you include non competition matches in college). Newell stated that while growing up, he idolized former Yankees pitcher

Jim Abbott James Anthony Abbott (born September 19, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers, from 1989 to 1999. He w ...

, who has no right hand and was an inspiration for Newell to challenge himself. His roommate in college was former

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

wrestler

Curt Hawkins Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former Impact Digital Media Champion. He is best known for his tenures in WWE from 2006–2014 and 2016–2020 unde ...

. They would watch ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', which was on the same channel right after ''

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television show, television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET on the USA Networ ...

'', and Newell has said this is what inspired him to take up MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Before turning professional, he amassed an amateur record of 5 wins, 1 loss. He describes his early MMA career as a struggle, not because he could not win, but because other fighters did not want to fight a one armed fighter. The potential opponents who turned down fights against him felt that it would be a lose-lose situation for them, as if they won, it would've been against a one-armed fighter; if they lost, it would've been against a fighter with one arm. As such, finding quality opponents became a struggle for Newell.

Xtreme Fighting Championships

In 2011, Newell signed a multi-fight deal with both

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal, Keith Jardin ...

and

Xtreme Fighting Championships Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is a premier international mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in Spring Lake, Michigan, with offices throughout the United States and South America. The XFC showcases both male and female fighters, ad ...

. He was supposed to have made his Shark Fights debut at Shark Fights 19, however an injury resulted in him being left off the card. He had his first bout with XFC at XFC 15: Tribute. The event was renamed 'Tribute' in honour of Nick's friend and fellow XFC signee Abi Mestre, who was killed in a motorcycle accident. Mestre was a close friend and teammate of Newell's who joined Nick last year at the open tryouts for the XFC. Newell defeated Denis Hernandez at XFC 15 with a dominant 71 second submission (heel hook) victory. Multiple videos and sources covered the fight, with many videos of the whole fight being posted on multiple MMA websites, as well as being shared across many Facebook and Twitter pages worldwide. He did an interview with Bleacher Report to talk about the fame he has been getting since his first televised fight at the XFC event. According to him, all the videos of the fight combined have reached around 4,500,000 views. Newell then defeated Chris Coggins via majority decision in what was Newell's biggest test in his MMA career so far. Newell defeated David Mays at XFC 19 after landing a big left knee on Mays chin, rendering him unconscious. He next fought for the vacated XFC Lightweight title at XFC 21 against Bellator veteran Eric Reynolds. Newell won the fight via submission in the first round and took the XFC Lightweight Title in the process. On June 14, he was scheduled to defend his XFC title against

Scott Holtzman Scott Holtzman (born September 30, 1983) is an American former mixed martial artist Who most recently competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional from 2012 to 2022, he formerly competed for the Xtrem ...

, however Newell turned down the fight stating that he only wants to fight ex-UFC fighters. Newell would be stripped of his belt.

World Series of Fighting

On May 28, 2013, Newell signed a multi-fight contract with

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by Venture capital, venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fight ...

. WSOF President

Ray Sefo Ray Sefo (born 15 February 1971) is a New Zealand fight promoter and retired kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent. He was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Runner Up, is a six-time Muay Thai World Champion, and was an eigh ...

hinted that Newell will be featured on the upcoming WSOF 4 & 5 cards against an opponent who has yet to be named. On June 20, it was announced that Newell would fight Keon Caldwell at World Series of Fighting 4. He won the fight via submission in the first round. For his second fight with the promotion, Newell faced Sabah Fadai at World Series of Fighting 7: Karakhanyan vs. Palmer on December 7, 2013. Again, he won the fight via submission in the first round. Newell challenged

Justin Gaethje Justin Ray Gaethje (; born November 14, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. As o ...

for the

WSOF Lightweight Championship Professional Fighters League (formerly the World Series of Fighting, or "WSOF") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. As well as championship history for their Internation ...

at WSOF 11. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round, suffering the first defeat of his professional career. On February 13, 2015, it was announced that Newell has signed a new four-fight contract with WSOF. After his first loss, Newell returned to the promotion on April 10, 2015, at

WSOF 20 World Series of Fighting 20: Branch vs. McElligott was a mixed martial arts event held in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. This event aired on NBCSN in the U.S and on TSN2 in Canada. Background The main event was originally scheduled ...

. He faced Joe Condon and won the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Newell returned to the promotion on October 17, 2015, at WSOF 24. He faced Tom Marcellino and won the back-and-forth bout by unanimous decision. After the fight Newell announced his retirement from MMA.

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Newell came out of retirement on March 9, 2018, when he met Sonny Luque in a lightweight main event at LFA 35 in Houston. The event aired on AXS TV. Newell won the contest via tapout due to a neck crank at 2:10 of the first round.

Dana White's Contender Series

On April 25, 2018, it was announced that Newell would be featured on Dana White's Contender Series 14. He faced Alex Munoz on the July 24 edition of the series, and lost the fight by unanimous decision.

CES MMA

On April 15, 2019, it was announced that Newell has signed with CES MMA and would be making his promotional debut against Kalvin Hackney at CES MMA 56 on May 31, 2019. However, Hackney was forced to withdraw from the bout and was replaced by Antonio Castillo Jr. Newell submitted Castillo Jr. in the first round with a rear naked choke.

Bellator MMA

On July 23, 2019, it was announced that Newell had signed a single-fight deal with

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

. Newell's debut took place at Bellator 225 against Corey Browning on August 24. He won the fight via an arm triangle submission in the first round. On September 18, 2019, Bellator president

Scott Coker Scott Coker (born October 3, 1962) is an American mixed martial artist, Taekwondoin, former movie stuntman, and combat sports promoter. He is the founder and former CEO of MMA promotion Strikeforce and the current President of Bellator MMA. Bac ...

announced on his social media that Newell had signed a four-fight contract with the organization. In his first fight on that contract, Newell faced Manny Muro at Bellator 232 on October 26, 2019. He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Newell was expected to face Zach Zane at Bellator 241 on March 13, 2020. However, the whole event was eventually cancelled due to the prevailing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Newell faced Bobby King at

Bellator 260 Bellator 260: Lima vs. Amosov was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on June 11, 2021, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was the first Bellator event with fans in attendance since Bellator ...

on June 11, 2021. He lost the fight via split decision.

Personal life

Newell and his wife have two sons, Wyatt (born 2018) and Brady (born 2020). Newell's life story is the focus of the film '' Notorious Nick'', where he is played by

Cody Christian Cody Allen Christian (born April 15, 1995) is an American actor. He is known for his recurring role as Mike Montgomery in the ABC Family/Freeform series ''Pretty Little Liars'', and for his role as Theo Raeken from the fifth and sixth seasons o ...

. Newell currently runs an MMA school called Fighting Arts Academy in Milford, Connecticut.

Championships and accomplishments

**2013 Submission of the Year *

** XFC Lightweight Championship (One time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 , Bobby King , Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 , Manny Muro , Decision (split) , Bellator 232 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Corey Browning , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Bellator 225 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:15 ,

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Antonio Castillo Jr. , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CES MMA 56 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 , Alex Munoz , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Sonny Luque , Submission (neck crank) , LFA 35 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Tom Marcellino , Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 24: Fitch vs. Okami , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Joe Condon , Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 20: Branch vs. McElligott , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

, TKO (punch) , World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:09 ,

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Sabah Fadai , Submission (guillotine choke) , World Series of Fighting 7: Karakhanyan vs. Palmer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada. , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Keon Caldwell , Submission (guillotine choke) , World Series of Fighting 4: Spong vs. DeAnda , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, United States. , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Eric Reynolds , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFC 21: Night of Champions 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , David Mays , KO (knee) , XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Chris Coggins , Decision (majority) , XFC 17: Apocalypse , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Denis Hernandez , Submission (heel hook) , XFC 15: Tribute , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Anthony Kaponis , Submission (armbar) , Cage Titans 5 - Vendetta , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Billy Walsh , Submission (armbar) , Cage Titans 3 - Mayhem , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Randolph, Massachusetts "To Say What One Feels" , pushpin_map = , pushpin_label_position = right , pushpin_label = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Massachusetts , coordinates = , s ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Steve Butler , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Triumph Fighter 1 - Supremacy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

Milford, New Hampshire Milford is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States, on the Souhegan River. The population was 16,131 at the 2020 census, up from 15,115 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Re ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , John Biasiucci , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ICE Fighter - Christmas Beatdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Daniel Ford , TKO (punch) , CFX 3 - Rumble in the Jungle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

, United States ,

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newell, Nick 1986 births American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople with limb difference Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Mixed martial artists from Connecticut Mixed martial artists from Massachusetts Bellator male fighters American male sport wrestlers