Nick Newell Returns From Two-Year Hiatus Refreshed for Friday’s LFA 35 Headliner

It’s not often you see a top tier prospect leave a sport right as it appears as if they are going to make their big breakthrough, but that’s exactly what lightweight Nick Newell did in 2015.

After initially gaining notoriety for only having one hand, Newell quickly proved he was capable of being a fighter that could progress through MMA without the need of qualifiers by going 13-1 over his first six years in the sport. And just as it seemed he would be taking the next step in his career, Newell left fighting.

“I just had a lot of things going on at the time of my last couple of fights,” Newell told MMAWeekly.com. “My body was starting to kind of work against me. I was fighting injured up to a point where it was like seven different things at a time.

“I was kind of getting tired of the game. I still had to fight, no matter what happened to me, because I needed the money because fighting was my only source of income. I was getting a little discouraged at the time and I wanted to focus on something more long-term. My goal was to open up my own academy and go from there.”

After just over two years away from actively competing, Newell felt refreshed enough to make his return to the cage a more mature and much improved fighter.

“I wanted to figure out how to do it a little bit smarter and focus on my business,” said Newell. “I experimented with a few things to see how my body handled it. Once my business had sustained me for a little bit, my body felt good and I was ready to go.

“I’m an adult now. The Nick Newell you saw a couple years ago was a boy. Even though I was 29 years old, I wasn’t mature like I am now. I have a lot going on and it has made me stronger and better. Teaching helped improve my game a lot; the little things that I could get away with before, I paid attention to those, and my game has gone through the roof.”

This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com