According to WSOF matchmaker and executive vice president Al Abdel-Aziz, if Nick Newell defeats Keon Caldwell at WSOF 4 on Aug. 10, he’ll join Justin Gaethje, Dan Lauzon and the winner of WSOF 4’s JZ Cavalcante vs. Tyson Griffin fight in a four-man 155-pound tournament to crown the promotion’s first lightweight champion.
The two semi-final fights will “most likely” take place on the same card at the end of the year. Following August’s card, the promotion has three more events scheduled for 2013 in September, October and December.
Newell (9-0) will make his highly-anticipated WSOF debut next weekend, while Lauzon (17-4) and Gaethje (9-0) were both victorious at WSOF 3 in June.
Newell gained notoriety because he is missing a hand, but Abdel-Aziz wanted the MMA community to know how highly the organization thinks of the 27-year-old.
“We believe in him,” he said. “He can compete with anyone in the world.”
WSOF will hold a four-man middleweight tournament at WSOF 5 in September. The match-ups will be: Dave Branch vs. Danillo Villefort and Elvis Mutapcic vs. Jesse Taylor. The winner of the tournament will become the promotion’s first middleweight champion.