For Nick Newell, the dream lives on.
The 32-year-old lightweight, who was born with a congenital amputation of his left arm, lost a unanimous decision to Alex Munoz on the latest episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series ending, for now at least, his dream of becoming a member of the UFC roster.
Newell’s career is a triumph against the odds. The Munoz loss takes his career ledger to 14-2, with the only other defeat coming to Justin Gaethje, but despite the setback he says that he intends to keep plugging away to try to realise his dream.
“Physically, I’m fine,” Newell said after the bout, per MMA Junkie. “Emotionally it hurts, but I’ve lost before, and it made me better. There’s lessons to be learned from this, and I’m just going to keep moving forward. Right now it looks like I’m going to have to go back to the drawing board and just keep working toward the dream.”
Munoz employed a wrestling-heavy offence throughout, avoiding the dangerous Newell on the feet and stifling any submission attempts from the bottom en route to the unanimous decision win.
“He was the better man,” Newell continued. “I don’t make excuses. It’s a fight, and it wasn’t my day. It was his day, and he deserves it. I worked 17 years for this. A lot of people take breaks and are doing other things all week, partying and stuff like that. I’m always focused, always training, and this is a lifestyle choice for me. I’m just going to get better from here.
“I am who I am because I’m never content. Nothing’s ever good enough for me. I’m a guy who lost his first 17 wrestling matches and went on to be all-state, went on to win a world title in MMA. (I was)14-1, and now I’m 14-2. It sucks, but this is the game we play. There are winners, and there are losers. Today wasn’t my day.”
After the bout Newell, who had been campaigning for a shot to get into the UFC, told of the words of encouragement he received from Dana White after the bout.
“He was the better man,” Newell reflected. “I don’t make excuses. It’s a fight, and it wasn’t my day. It was his day, and he deserves it. I worked 17 years for this. A lot of people take breaks and are doing other things all week, partying and stuff like that. I’m always focused, always training, and this is a lifestyle choice for me. I’m just going to get better from here.
“I am who I am because I’m never content. Nothing’s ever good enough for me. I’m a guy who lost his first 17 wrestling matches and went on to be all-state, went on to win a world title in MMA. (I was)14-1, and now I’m 14-2. It sucks, but this is the game we play. There are winners, and there are losers. Today wasn’t my day.”
