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MMA Fighter Praised After Beating Opponent In First Round With Only One Arm

MMA Fighter Praised After Beating Opponent In First Round With Only One Arm

Nick Newell notched up his 14th professional win and he's sent a big message to the UFC saying he wants to get signed

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

When you're an MMA fighter, you have to use every part of your body to get an advantage over your opponent.

While many would have looked at Nick Newell and thought he wouldn't stand a chance in a normal fight, he's here to prove them wrong - and he did so in the most spectacular fashion.

The 31-year-old from Milford, Connecticut, was born with congenital amputation of his left arm, which finishes just below his elbow. As he grew up, he learned how to pick up things with his stump and he carried on like an able-bodied person.

Last night, he managed to beat his opponent, Vicente Luque, at LFA35 in the first goddamn round.

The Bleacher Report says Newell managed to take Luque down and started a near-naked choke. The submission move proved too much for the American-born Brazilian MMA fighter and he tapped at the 2:10 mark.

AXS TV

In his post-match speech, he said: "Life is a cold hard place. It will chew you up and spit you out.

"But if you make it your bitch, you can do anything. You can either become a victim of circumstances or you can create your own. I'm out here, I'm creating my own circumstances.

"I'm one of the best fighters in the world and I belong in the UFC. That's it. That's final. I gave you 14 reasons why I belong in the UFC. I'm one of the best fighters in the world and I proved it 14 times."

That became his 14th professional win out of 15 fights.

But it's been a long time between fights for Newell, with his last match being more than two years ago. He announced his retirement from MMA following his win against Tom Marcellino at WSOF 24 in 2015, saying his body couldn't keep up with the sport any longer.

Newell started out as a wrestler in high school, however he nearly quit after his first session, saying the sport was too hard. But his mum refused to allow him to give up on it, and he went on to win more than 300 matches in high school and college.

When he made his foray into MMA, he found it incredibly secure matches because he said not many of his opponents wanted to face off against a one-armed fighter.

His first fight came at XFC 15: Tribute and he beat Denis Hernandez with a 71 second, heel hook victory. That sent shockwaves across the MMA community and videos of the fight have been viewed millions of times.

He steadily notched up more wins and despite being out of the game for more than two years, Newell has showed that he's not done yet - not by a long shot.

Here's hoping he clinches a contract with the UFC.

Sources: Bleacher Report, MMA Fighting, MMA Junkie

Featured Image Credit: AXS TV/Instagram

Topics:Β SPORT, News, UFC, MMA