MMA fighter Nick Newell cut a dejected figure as he failed to secure a highly-coveted UFC contract that many experts believed he had already earned.
Newell was born with congenital amputation on his left arm, despite this though he wrestled throughout high school and college before forging a career in MMA.
The 32-year-old compiled an impressive record of 14-1, with his only loss coming in a World Series of Fighting lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje, who has since become a top-five ranked lightweight in the UFC.
There had been various calls down the years for Newell to be given a shot in the big leagues, but these had been consistently shot down by much-maligned UFC president Dana White.
White himself has previously been on the record saying that Newell would never fight under the UFC banner, however, his impressive record coupled with continuing calls from fans and experts alike meant that something had to give.
Newell was finally given his shot at a UFC contract, but he had to jump through a few hoops first, competing on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. A show centred around finding young, up and coming athletes who fight under the watchful eye of White in the hope that they will be rewarded with a contract.
Fan’s where excited at the thought of finally seeing Newell inside the Octagon, albeit, one that was in the Ultimate Fighter gym and not in front of a packed out crowd. His opponent was Alex Munoz, a relatively unknown fighter with a record of 4-0.
Unfortunately, Newell lost the bout by unanimous decision against a bigger, stronger Munoz who continually used his superior wrestling skills to snuff out any attacks launched. Munoz himself is currently a wrestling coach with famed MMA stable, Team Alpha Male, which is headed up by Hall of Fame fighter Urijah Faber.
After the fight, Newell addressed reporters and seemed emotionally drained as opposed to physically beaten.
Despite the loss, Newell is still seen as an inspiration to many people. Hopefully, we can see him bounce back from the heartbreak and realise his dreams.
