Nick Newell continued to inspire the masses at XFC 21, where he submitted Eric Reynolds to become the XFC lightweight champion.
Early in the fight, Newell completed a suplex to take Reynolds’ back. From there, it didn’t take long for the congenital amputee to lock up a rear-naked choke and submit Reynolds.
With the victory, Newell is now undefeated in his first nine MMA fights and beginning to look like much more than a disabled fighter beating up on regional competition.
A bout with Reynolds was far from a matchup that would ensure victory for the XFC‘s most well-known commodity. The 26-year-old Reynolds has earned a win under the Bellator banner and entered Friday’s bout with a solid 16-5 record.
Not only did Newell upset Reynolds with relative ease, he disposed of his opponent faster than lightweight stars Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal could. Those Bellator and Strikeforce standouts weren’t able to submit Reynolds until the third round, whereas Newell forced a tap in only 82 seconds.
Having achieved so much success in his first three years as a professional fighter, Newell is bound to start receiving attention from bigger promotions in the near future. For the publicity alone, Newell would be an excellent addition to any MMA organization, but he’s now proven he’s a high-level fighter on top of a great story.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com