One week from today, Nick Newell (14-1) will finally have the opportunity he has longed for when he appears on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series to square off against Alex Munoz (4-0). Although Newell’s handicap of fighting with one arm has been widely publicized, he will be entering the fight next Tuesday with one glaring advantage: More than three times the fight experience of his opponent. Although the odds have not been released yet, Nick Newell does believe that while he has received a mixed reaction from the MMA community, he will be receiving more support from fans than acrimony because of the message a victory would send to viewers:
“People either really want to see me win or really want to see me lose for some reason,” Newell told Luke Thomas on The MMA Hour. “I think that, for the most part, people have my back, and they want to see me win, I would say. It’s a good story. Obviously, I have a good story with me. It’s a good meter of what people facing a certain obstacle can accomplish. I don’t think anything that I fail to do would be a measure of what they can’t accomplish.”
Because of the story that is attached to Newell, he realizes how much attention his bout will receive. And instead of added pressure, it gives Newell the extra push he needs before fighting in the biggest fight of his career:
“I know where I stand in this sport, and I know that there’s gonna be a lot of eyes on me. And if I win, it’s gonna be bigger than anyone else that’s ever won on the show. And if I lose, it’s gonna be worse than anyone has ever gotten it on the show. And I know that. And I knew that going into this camp. And I knew that when I accepted the fight. So, for me, that was extra motivation to make sure that everything goes right and I’m on point for this fight.”
In one week, we will find out if Nick Newell will finally make it to the UFC, which would be the culmination of what is already one of the most inspiring stories in the history of the sport.
What do you feel about Nick Newell’s upcoming appearance on DWTNCS?
