UFC & MMA News 2014: One-Handed Fighter, Nick Newell, is 11-0; Soon to be Championship?

A one-hand amputee remains undefeated and aims to become a champion soon.

Nick Newell was born with congenital amputation, a birth defect which caused him to only have one fully developed arm. However, he managed to overcome the odds and went on to dominate in mixed martial arts. So far, he is 11-0 and intends to earn a championship.

In a Yahoo! Sports report, Newell said, "I feel like being the one-handed fighter isn't what defines me. It's just a part of who I am. It's the part that sticks out and people want to pay attention to. But when they actually see me fight, they'll know it's so much more than that." He added, "I don't feel like I have something to prove because I have one hand. I've already proved if you work hard, you can accomplish anything with the right drive and work ethic."

Newell is 28 years old, 5'10" and 155 pounds. His success in the ring can be attributed to his strong male influences when he first started training. Matt Schoonmaker, his high school wrestling coach, guided him for four years. His mother Stacey was also very supportive despite his son's birth condition. Newell went through the challenges in the first few years then eventually garnered a record of 53-10 in high school at 130 pounds. He got fourth place at the New England Championship in 2004 and was also dubbed an All-State wrestler.

In an article on Sports Illustrated, Libeszewski, Newell's current MMA coach said, "Every fighter has advantages and disadvantages. If you're tall, you get to be tall. If you're explosive, you're explosive. If you're flexible, you're flexible. Every fighter introduces a new problem, so I really don't buy into that too much. Sometimes people try to make it seem like [Nick's holds] are much more difficult than they really are. They're not that much different than people think they are."

Newell is set to face lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, who also holds an 11-0 record. The two will battle it out on July 5. Previously, Newell won the 155-pound weight class of the Xtreme Fighting Championship in December 2012. He had to give up the title upon transferring to WSOF.

UFC President Dana White said in 2013 that Newell would never fight in UFC. White described the idea of fighting with one arm as "craziness". Newell was unfazed by White's comments, "They're too worried about what people would think more than they're worried about having the best fighters in the world. I was a free agent and World Series of Fighting gave me a great offer and I'm happy."