Nick Newell | Ethan Miller
Nick Newell fell short of making his dreams come true on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series but he is landing back on his feet.
Nick Newell is not letting his loss on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series be his defining fight.
The fan-favorite fighter is confident he will make it to the “big show” one way or another and told the Pull No Punches podcast he had a “big opportunity” on the way. “Something is in the works and there is going to be an announcement soon,” he said. “Making it is not enough, winning is everything. I’m going to get to the big show. If it’s not the UFC then it’s Bellator.”
Newell, 33, stands by his performance on the Contender Series last summer — a unanimous decision loss to Alex Munoz — and insists not all opponents are built the same.
“I know I’m one of the best in the world,” he confidently stated. “You look at a lot of these guys that are on the Contender Series and, a lot of them suck, but a lot of them are freaking legit. Johnny Walker fought on the Contender Series. He had a tougher fight there. He went to a decision and then gets to the UFC and knocks everyone out in under a minute. Just because you lose on the Contender’s Series doesn’t mean you can’t hack it in the UFC. I fought a guy who was a national champ wrestler who is the wrestling coach at Team Alpha Male.”
“I got wrestled and that’s the fight. I’m not complaining about that. I lost, but this man is very good. This is a high-level fighter. I know if I had a better showing I could beat him, I truly believe that. On that day it was his day. I almost got the knockout, I almost got the decision. I lost but it was a competitive fight,” Newell argued. “They gave me a harder fight than anyone else got. They took the two best 55-pounders that they had and they put them against each other for a showcase.”
In fact, Newell believes he is responsible for why more people haven’t heard of Munoz.
“I hurt him during that fight and he hasn’t been able to fight since. It’s been almost a year. He’s really f—king good. He could be making a name for himself.”
Newell (15-2) won 11 straight fights before losing to Justin Gaethje in a WSOF lightweight title fight. Most recently, he beat Antonio Castillo Jr. at CES 56 in May. Newell cited promotions like PFL and Rizin as alternatives to the UFC.