Nick Newell wants MMA fans to see him as a talented fighter, one skilled enough to fight for a championship and headline a nationally televised card.
He knows he’ll be judged on so much more.
Newell has defeated every fighter he’s faced inside the cage, becoming a submission specialist en route to a lightweight championship bout – and an inspiration to all who watched him topple the odds and become one of the top fighters outside of UFC.
Newell was born with only one fully developed arm, due to a birth condition known as congenital amputation. His left arm stops about three inches past the elbow. He has become known in MMA circles as one the one-handed fighter. Newell would rather just be called, champion.
“I feel like being the one-handed fighter isn’t what defines me,” he said. “It’s just a part of who I am. It’s the part that sticks out and people want to pay attention to. But when they actually see me fight, they’ll know it’s so much more than that.