One-handed fighter Nick Newell: 'People are afraid to fight me'

Nick Newell is a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He's undefeated with an impressive record of 5-0. There's something else, though, that sets this guy apart from the rest of the pack.
He only has one hand.
You've heard of fighters having to overcome obstacles. Whether it be an injury, a loss of a loved one or a chronic illness, you've heard the excuses that fighters often make.
Newell makes no excuses and he wants no pity. If it were up to him, he'd have more than five professional fights under his belt. In a recent video for Break.com, Newell explained.

"I'd fight all the time, if I had the chance, but a lot of people don't wanna fight me because of the whole 'one hand' thing. They say it's a 'lose-lose' situation. It's not. They're just afraid to fight me. They're just using it as an excuse."

On Sep. 10 (2011), "Notorious" was set to make his Shark Fights debut against Jesse Zeugin at Shark Fights 19 in Independence, Missouri. Unfortunately, he has had to withdraw from the fight due to a nasty staph infection.
It's always something.

Newell has finished all five of his fights in the first round. Impressive for any fighter, let alone someone who has had to overcome the adversity that he's had to face his whole life.
It would be easy for Newell to use his disability as a crutch. No one would begrudge him for it. He won't hear any of that kind of talk.

"Growing up, my family never babied me when it came to sports or being tough or anything like that. The first day I ever did wrestling, I thought it was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. I wanted to quit. I can only imagine what my life would be like if I had." 

Like many other wrestlers, Newell saw MMA as the next progression in his combat sports career. He instantly gravitated to it and knew it was the sport for him.

"I saw mixed martial arts and I said, 'That is something that I need to try!' I saw people fight and I said, 'I'm better than these guys and I'm gonna go prove it.' I was lucky enough to have coaches who weren't like, 'Oh this guy has one hand. He can't fight.' We always come up with ways to modify things."

It really puts things in perspective. Newell has been an inspiration to many fans and hopes to continue to do so with his fighting.

"It really touches me that I get to talk to some of these people and I get to change their opinions on life and the way things are. Life can be hard and people can be mean sometimes. It's important to not listen to those believe that don't believe in you."

It is yet to be announced when Newell will make his Shark Fights debut. In the meantime, Newell will look to heal up and, then, continue to hone his MMA skills.

by Kevin Haggerty