WSOF

Another World Series of Fighting event, another controversial win for their welterweight champion, Rousimar Palhares. Toquinho added yet another gorgeous submission to his highlight reel but further armed his naysayers (and the Nevada State Athletic Commission) with another extracurricular twist on a joint lock.

The early goings of the fight were not at all favorable for the Brazilian. The first frame was all Shields, who took Palhares down early and often, comfortably staying in the Brazilian's guard and never flashing an ankle that could risk one of those signature leg locks. Palhares wouldn't put forward much resistance and quite frankly seemed to quit during the fight.

The second round was the same story but with a single suspenseful moment where Palhares got hold of Shields' legs on the ground. Shields managed to spin out and once again control the fight in Palhares' guard, but Palhares debuted a new technique: a Gerard Gordeau-style eye gouge from the bottom.

Referee Steve Mazzagatti repeatedly warned Palhares but did not deduct a point and allowed him to continue scratching his fingers across Shields' face.

The fight turned on its head in the third, however. Shields hopped off his stool, visibly tired, and desperately shot for takedowns. Palhares sprawled each attempt and eventually got hold of Shields' right arm and nailed a gorgeous sweep.

From there, he locked up a brutal Kimura that immediately scored the tap. In vintage Palhares fashion, however, he refused to relinquish the hold and gave it a clear extra tug for good measure.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Jake Shields #WSOF22 Palhares fight ends in controversy as always https://t.co/C5uwlyyS8i

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) August 2, 2015

It's standard operating procedure for Palhares, who has earned a well-deserved reputation as a dirty fighter, based on his habit of refusing to let go of submission holds. He was famously booted from the UFC in 2013, following his similarly controversial win over Mike Pierce, where he continued torquing a leglock long after Pierce tapped.

Shields would take a swing off his back after the referee finally broke off the fight, which prompted the corners to try to storm the cage (they can be spotted on the right in the tweet). When interviewed after the fight, he was largely unrepentant, ripping Palhares over the submission and criticizing the ref for his inaction over the eye gouging. 

In a vacuum, this would be a colossal accomplishment for Palhares. Shields is an amazing grappler and one of the most successful welterweights in MMA history. Defeating him at all, never mind with that gorgeous Kimura, would have legitimized him in a way he has never experienced.

Alas, it is not in a vacuum. Palhares' consistently dirty fighting has most likely landed him, and WSOF, in hot water.

OK, so they're not technically brothers. But who's counting, really. Plus, "people who have lived in the same house since they were young boys" doesn't have the same ring to it. 

Label it how you wish, but Abubakar and Khabib Nurmagomedov—who are cousins by blood—think of themselves as siblings. You can hear it as Khabib helps translate questions for Abubakar during a recent interview, and you can sense it as Khabib talks proudly, if a bit nervously, about Abubakar's American MMA debut, happening this Saturday against Jorge Moreno at World Series of Fighting 22.

"We've lived together all our lives," said Khabib Nurmagomedov in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. "I was seven years old when he came. Now he's 25, and I'm 26. We do everything together. We push each other, push ourselves. We help each other. He's a very important guy in my life."

They might be similar in many of the same ways, growing up together in the Dagestan republic of Russia's North Caucasus region, the MMA hotbed that has spawned Rustam Khabilov, Ruslan Magomedov, Mairbek Taisumov and Zubaira Tukhugov, among others, including the brothers Nurmagomedov.

To hear Abubakar tell it, though, there are fundamental differences in their fighting styles. Khabib, who is 22-0 and the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings, uses a dominant grappling game, including some of the best takedowns in the sport, to rake in round after round and fight after fight. If a finish comes, so much the better, but winning the contest with minimal damage is the first priority.

That approach contrasts with that of Abubakar (9-1). Khabib has gone the distance on eight occasions. For Abubakar, the number is zero. Abubakar may have more knockout power, or at least more willingness to throw his fists; despite having 11 fewer pro fights than Khabib, Abubakar's seven knockout wins are only one less than his cousin.

"I'm a little different from Khabib's style," Abubakar said through an interpreter. "He's more of a thinking style. I'm more someone who likes to exchange and do brawling. Khabib takes a position and tries to advance it. I expect to finish. He gets on me sometimes because I'm not using the same safe kind of style as him."

At the same time, each fighter's game is based in wrestling and combat sambo, the blended self-defense technique distinct to that part of the world.

Khabib, under the guidance of his father, was the first of the two boys to try freestyle wrestling, then sambo; Abubakar followed his lead. Though they will always be linked, Khabib said Abubakar is ready to start this chapter, which will be distinctly his own.

"I think he's experienced enough," Khabib said. "It's hard. He can fight for the title. He is 25 years old, but he has a lot of experience in amateur. I think he's ready for tough opponents."

As for the green but aggressive Moreno (4-0) and his stateside debut, if Abubakar has any nerves, he's not letting them show. If Moreno comes forward, Abubakar said he'll be waiting, ready to make a first impression on American viewers.

"I've seen his fights on YouTube. He always jumps, always looks for the finish," Abubakar said. "I'm excited about that. I have a message for him: I'm not going to back down."

As the two Nurmagomedovs hunkered down in Las Vegas, doing interviews together and cutting the final few pounds from Abubakar's frame, they prevent themselves from talking too much about topics outside of the business at hand.

But it's Abubakar's first time in America. Brothers can dream together, too, can't they?

"I can fight all 15 minutes, but I don't want it to go 15 minutes," Abubakar said. "I want to finish him in the first round, and then I want to go to McDonald's. I've never been before. That's where I want to go."

The Beaten Path is Bleacher Report MMA's series on top fighter prospects. For the previous interview in the series, click here. Scott Harris covers MMA prospects and more for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.

Despite being denied a license to fight in Nevada this week, light heavyweight Thiago Silva will fight again in the World Series of Fighting promotion.

That's according to matchmaker and WSOF Executive Vice President Ali Abdel-Aziz, who addressed the situation Wednesday in an interview with Bleacher Report.

"Yes, we'll book him again," Abdel-Aziz said. "I feel bad for Thiago. He's not going to be able to fight, to make money. But he understands. It is what it is."

In February 2014, Silva was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and resisting an officer after he barricaded himself in his home following a confrontation with his then-estranged wife, Thaysa Kamiji. He was released by the UFC, with UFC President Dana White telling TMZ Sports that Silva would "never fight in the UFC again."

However, the UFC reinstated Silva later that year after Silva's wife fled the country and all charges were dropped.

The story took yet another turn when Kamiji released videos that purported to show Silva on drugs and brandishing a gun. The UFC released Silva again.

The World Series of Fighting signed Silva in January. Though the move raised eyebrows, Abdel-Aziz said he did due diligence on Silva, including speaking with some of Silva's training-camp teammates at the Blackzilians camp in Florida.

"When he became a free agent, I went to Rashad Evans. I went to [camp owner] Glenn Robinson," Abdel-Aziz said. "They said he was a good guy who just got caught in a bad situation. ... I don't have the authority as a human being to judge. That's for the court."

Abdel-Aziz also suggested the Nevada State Athletic Commission—which denied Silva a license based on "past issues," perhaps including his failure to attend a hearing related to his prior doctoring of a urine sample—did not properly inform Silva or WSOF officials of the hearing.

"We didn't know because they didn't tell us about it," Abdel-Aziz said. "But I'm not going to point fingers. We're going to move forward."

Speaking of moving forward, Abdel-Aziz said that despite his intention to schedule Silva for another fight, Silva is subject to the WSOF's "zero-tolerance" policy. In essence, if Silva is convicted of a crime in the future, he will then face his release from WSOF.

"I don't know what happened. I wasn't there," Abdel-Aziz said. "But his friends say he's good. Around me, he's very respectful. We ask him to do something, and he does it. ... If a judge doesn't convict him, I don't convict him. Everybody has a story."

The 32-year-old Silva (16-4) is 0-1 in WSOF. He sustained a knockout loss to Teddy Holder in his first and only fight.

Silva's opponent at WSOF 22, Mike Kyle, will now face Clifford Starks at the event.

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. Feel free to follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Jake Shields has never been one to make a fight personal, but he's definitely carrying a grudge heading into his bout against Rousimar Palhares.

In a career that has spanned nearly 16 years and produced multiple world titles on various stages across MMA, the slick submissions ace has earned his reputation as being one of the most laid-back competitors outside of the cage and one of the most dangerous once the ruckus gets rolling. Along the way he's faced—and in most cases defeated—some of the best fighters to compete in the welterweight and middleweight ranks to build one of the most impressive resumes in the current era of the sport.

In doing so, the San Francisco-based fighter has racked up a lofty list of achievements and has done it without going beyond the limits of his character to fabricate fictional beef for the sake of fight promotion.

So when Shields starts lacing shots in the direction of his upcoming opponent and current WSOF welterweight champion Palhares, there is reason to believe things have drifted into the realm of personal for the former Strikeforce middleweight titleholder. He sees Palhares' penchant for holding onto submissions and knack for injuring his opponents as a bold sign of the Brazilian's lack of professionalism and plans to teach Toquinho a lesson when they square off for the welterweight strap Saturday night at WSOF 22. 

Shields said it bothers him that Palhares "is out there trying to hurt people."

"It's one thing to hurt someone if it happens in a fight, but it's another to do it intentionally. We go out there to fight, and getting hurt is part of the sport, but looking to do it intentionally is just dirty. Especially in jiu-jitsu. It bothers me even more that he tries to act so nice and comes off so fake. I have a lot to get excited for in this fight. 

"We put our careers on the line when we go out there, and trying to hurt someone is just dirty. It doesn't matter if the guy he's facing taps out, he'll crank on it anyway and blow out the knee. That makes me not like this guy and it brings an added element to this fight. I know the kind of fighter he is and I am ready for it."

Shields knows Palhares is capable of stepping over the line and putting his career at risk once their main event gets underway Saturday, and that has him prepared to tap into the darker side of his own psyche. Fighting is a brutal sport by its nature, but the sporting element typically creates an element of sportsmanship between the two competitors.

In Shields' mind, that won't exist when the cage door closes Saturday night in Las Vegas, and he's ready and willing to mix it up any way the 170-pound champion wants to get down.

"If the guy you're fighting is playing dirty, then you have to go fight at his level," Shields said. "You can't be out there trying to not hurt someone who is definitely out there trying to hurt you. That's when you have to be willing to get down to that level and do whatever it takes to get the win." 

In addition to his quest to make a statement to a fighter he believes deserves zero respect for the dangerous and illegal tactics he's consistently displayed over the past several years, the 36-year-old Tareq Azim-trained fighter will also be aiming to add another championship belt to his mantle. Shields has spent the past decade competing at the elite levels of two different weight classes and has held a status as either champion or perennial title threat wherever he's chosen to compete.

And while veteran resurgences have been increasing as of late, Shields sees his current run as anything but. He believes he's doing some of the best work of his decorated career, and back-to-back first-round finishes against opponents with devastating power—like the caliber of what Ryan Ford and Brian Foster possess—go a long way to reflect that notion.

"It's crazy to be honest," Shields said. "I'm feeling the best I've ever felt, which is kind of weird with my age and being at this stage of my career to be feeling better than ever. I'm just in a good space mentally, and I've really started to enjoy fighting again. I really want to make a statement with these fights. I came into both of those fights with the plan to finish in the first round, and that's what I did."

With a victory over Palhares at WSOF 22, the American jiu-jitsu representative's career would once again shift into a higher gear. While mixed results under the UFC banner spawned questions as to whether Shields' best days in the cage were behind him, any doubts about his motivation to compete have been erased during his time with WSOF.

He's fallen back in love with fighting, and as long as that love remains, Shields is confident he will continue to step in and give his best. When the day comes where he doesn't feel that spark, Shields has zero doubt that he'll walk away. And with everything he's accomplished in his career, there won't be anything to regret when that decision inevitably comes to call.

"I feel like I have one of the best resumes in the sport, and it's something I definitely take pride in," Shields said. "I've won multiple titles and have done it at different weights. That's not something a lot of fighters have accomplished, and I'm proud to have done it. I certainly wouldn't mind adding one more belt to my resume and a few more wins.

"I'm just doing it one fight at a time right now. I've fought for so long and have pretty much accomplished all of my goals and have done the things I wanted to do, so I'm taking things one fight at a time at this point in my career. I'm feeling so comfortable right now, and I'm enjoying it. After each fight I look at the situation and see if I want to fight again. Right now, I'm feeling great, but once you start slipping it's time to walk away. This is a dangerous sport, and it becomes a lot more dangerous if you aren't 100 percent committed to it."

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

It's truly not cockiness. Lance Palmer is just being honest. 

The World Series of Fighting (WSOF) featherweight champ talks about his upcoming tilt against longtime veteran Chris Horodecki with a tranquility more fit for a stroll around the neighborhood than for a trip inside the steel cage. 

Palmer is relaxed and prepared, and he sees nothing in Horodecki that makes him want to change his demeanor. 

"I feel like I'm better everywhere," Palmer told Bleacher Report. "He's just been around for longer. I'm just going to go out there and perform. If I perform, I don't think he can touch me, and that's what I plan to do." 

Palmer's confidence is rooted in reason. A four-time All-American wrestler at the Ohio State University, Palmer transitioned to MMA four years ago, shacking up with Sacramento's esteemed Team Alpha Male to round out his game. 

His rapid improvements led him to the WSOF featherweight title in short order, and now he looks to add a championship defense to his already cluttered mantle. Against Horodecki, Palmer doesn't see a path of least resistance to achieve this goal. 

He just plans on owning the Polish fighter everywhere. 

"I know his main thing is striking, but his last few fights he's won by taking guys down," Palmer said. "Whatever he wants to do is fine with me, but I'm going to dictate the pace, dictate the pressure. Whether I take him out on the feet or on the ground, it doesn't matter to me as long as I get the finish."

Horodecki, who has been known as a striker with crafty submissions throughout his career, has recently begun to add a wrestle-heavy attack to his arsenal, notching his last two wins via unanimous decision through control and patience. 

Against, Palmer, however, this will not work. The amateur wrestling stud embraces this grinding style as well as anyone in the sport today, and Horodecki will not be the man to best him at it. 

"I'd like to see him try to take me down," Palmer said. "I think if he wants to go there with me, that's his mistake. But I've trained for everything. Just because you're a wrestler doesn't mean he won't try to shoot in on you.

"If you're getting tagged on the feet, most guys dive in or try to set up a takedown, so I train for the fight to go everywhere and trained for 25 minutes. I'm going to keep this belt and come away with the victory." 

After Horodecki, the WSOF featherweight roster is thin. Moving down to bantamweight to continue this title reign, Palmer notes, is definitely not an option. 

"I think 145 is the lowest amount of weight I'll ever make in my life," Palmer said. "To make 135, I'd have to cut something off." 

Taking a trip up to lightweight is more reasonable, he said, but even then, he puts his faith in the promotion to bring new bodies into his own weight class. Moving around is possible—he just doesn't want the situation to come to that. 

"I could [go to 155], but as long as I go out and do well in this fight, I'm the champ at 145, so I think 145 is my home," Palmer said. "I could fight at 155, I could fight at 170 and not cut any weight, but that's not my weight class. I think 145 is where I feel comfortable. I'm sure they'll sign some guys."

For a fighter like Palmer—a standout collegiate athlete with world-class training partners and dedication to his craft—the cloud of the UFC looms large. Fans and critics will always compare the best fighters in the world to those competing under the UFC banner, a point Palmer recognizes. 

The company's recent partnership with Reebok has suddenly made the promotion less appealing in the eyes of some fighters, though—including fighters currently under UFC contract. 

To Palmer, however, the UFC is still the big show. The Reebok deal isn't perfect, and he'd make less sponsorship money to step inside the Octagon, but he still recognizes the promotion for what it is. 

"The UFC is the biggest show there is, and it's been around forever," Palmer said. "I think they're going to continue to be the big show for a long time, but it is what it is. I know a lot of the UFC guys aren't happy with it. Even a lot of the champions have spoken out that they're not happy with it."

"Reebok's had deals with the NFL and stuff like that, so I'm sure there's going to be some sort of compensation," he continued. "People try to compare the UFC deal to the NFL deal, but it doesn't compare at all. It's not the same, because you're going out there and you're playing a game of football. The UFC guys rely on that sponsorship money when they go in the cage. It's nothing like the NFL. The NFL was never a sport where you could wear your own sponsors on your clothes when you went into a game. I think something will change, though. I think [UFC President] Dana [White] and [UFC CEO] Lorenzo Fertitta will figure out a way to keep the guys happy." 

For now, though, Palmer has a job to do. He likes the way the WSOF featherweight strap feels around his waist, and he intends to keep it there. 

First Horodecki, then it's open season in the featherweight division. He's thinking about future title defenses, but he's not looking past his opponent. 

He's just being honest. 

If World Series of Fighting 22 was going to pose even a minor threat to UFC 190, it was going to need a pretty stacked card.

Mission accomplished.

WSOF 22, airing on the same day as Ronda Rousey defends her women's bantamweight title against Bethe Correia at UFC 190, will include three championship fights and the return of combat sports sensation Tyrone Spong, according to a report published Tuesday by John Morgan of MMA Junkie. Both events go down Saturday, August 1.

“This is, in my opinion, the most incredible lineup of fights featuring marquee talent that WSOF has put together since we launched the company in 2012,” said WSOF president Ray Sefo, according to the report.

#WSOF22 is STACKED!!! Palhares vs Shields Moraes vs Moraes Bibulatov vs Frelow Spong vs Kyle http://t.co/xRqIRCS9Mv pic.twitter.com/XkIf9ZUyND

— WSOF (@MMAWorldSeries) May 26, 2015

At the top of the WSOF 22 card, controversial submission artist Rousimar Palhares defends his welterweight belt against fellow grappler and UFC veteran Jake Shields.

UFC officials released and banned Palhares in 2013 for his practice of repeatedly holding dangerous submission holds too long—a charge that has followed him to WSOF. 

Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes will face challenger and blue-chip prospect Sheymon Moraes in the evening's co-main event. Marlon Moraes (14-4-1) is still only 27 years old and widely considered the best bantamweight outside the UFC. But Sheymon Moraes is hot on his heels, currently 7-0 as a 24-year-old pro, though his WSOF debut was an uninspiring split-decision win.

In the evening's third title tilt, Magomed Bibulatov and Donavon Frelow do battle to determine the promotion's first flyweight champ. Native Chechen Bibulatov (9-0) will probably be favored to grab the belt in his first fight for WSOF.

Plenty of fans, however, might be most intrigued by one of the evening's non-title matchups. Tyrone Spong, a former professional kickboxing champion, returns to MMA for the first time since WSOF 4 in 2013. Spong, who trains with the vaunted Blackzilians team in Florida, will face UFC alum Mike Kyle. The 29-year-old light heavyweight is 2-0 in professional MMA.

It has been called "one of the saddest stories in MMA" by MMAFighting.com's Marc Raimondi.

That may be a bit of an overstatement, but not by a huge margin. Now, after two years in contractual and bureaucratic purgatory, Dagestani Russian featherweight Magomedrasul "Frodo" Khasbulaev finally has a chance to crawl up from between the cracks and resume his promising fighting career.

World Series of Fighting officials have confirmed (via MMAjunkie) that Khasbulaev has inked a deal for multiple fights with the promotion. They are now looking to set Khasbulaev up with an opponent for his WSOF debut at WSOF 21 on June 5 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

@timurvaliev_df looking forward for @MMAWorldSeries belt pic.twitter.com/QE2LfiqSKI

— Rizvan Magomedov (@Rizvan_RM) March 28, 2015

In 2013, Khasbulaev, who hails from the same region of the North Caucasus that spawned hot names like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov, defeated Mike Richman to win Bellator's featherweight tournament in the promotion's eighth season. Then 26 years old, Khasbulaev was 21-5 as a pro and in position to challenge then-champion Pat Curran for the featherweight title.

It was all looking good until Khasbulaev's visa was revoked under mysterious circumstances. The resulting complications were messy and murky and took two years to resolve.

As Khasbulaev and his camp attempted to re-secure his traveling privileges, Bellator—then under the leadership of Bjorn Rebney, who has since parted ways with the organization—evidently refused to let Khasbulaev out of his contract, a move that would have allowed him to stay busy competing for promotions in Russia while he waited for the United States to restore his visa.

Hey @ScottCoker, no fights more than year. heard u good person,understand me.Have feed my family.Please release me. @arielhelwani @MMAjunkie

— MRasul Khasbulaev (@FrodoMMA) August 15, 2014

In January, Bellator, under the new leadership of Scott Coker, finally released Khasbulaev, at which time details emerged that seemed to point to Bellator as the party responsible for discontinuing his visa, potentially because Khasbulaev refused to sign a big contract to stay with the promotion.

"They said his original petition was revoked by the petitioner, by Bellator," said Khasbulaev's current manager, Rizvan Magomedov in a January interview with Raimondi. "That's what he was told by the consulate."

Bellator officials have denied the claim, with Raimondi noting there appears to be some evidence showing the promotion attempted to get his visa problem worked out.

It is, if nothing else, a strange situation. But with Khasbulaev now apparently cleared to fight under the WSOF banner, hopefully any problems are behind him and an innocent person can return to making an honest living as a fighter.

Rick Glenn was briefly named as Khasbulaev's first WSOF opponent, but an injury has sidelined the former WSOF featherweight champ.

This Friday night at Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, CT, Nick Newell will look to rebound from his first professional loss and work his way back up the lightweight ladder when he takes on Joe Condon in the co-main event of World Series of Fighting 20. Newell hasn’t fought since his third-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje last July in the promotions network television debut on NBC.  

Newell recently spoke with Bleacher Report Columnist Mike Wellman on his podcast, The MMA Word. Newell opened up about coming back from defeat, the opportunity to fight in Connecticut and signing a new contract with WSOF.

Even though he’s been out of the cage since last July, Newell says he’s been getting better. His time away from the cage has allowed injuries to heal and his body to recover from his last few fights.  

Newell recently re-signed with World Series of Fighting, after a lengthy negotiation with the promotion. Newell wanted to immediately get back into fights with the promotion's top lightweights, while matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com at the time he wanted to bring Newell back up the ranks more slowly.  

It kind of sucks, because I want to go in there and fight the best but they’re in control of my contract, really. I do make decent money, but I’m also a pretty big draw, so I think that’s fair. I want to fight the best guys, but this is the guy they want me to fight. I’m not in a position to call anyone out because I lost my last fight. I say I do this fight, and we see how it goes, and just go from there.

Newell would have liked to get back in the cage much sooner. He was ready to fight in December, but his contract negotiations kept him out of the mix until he re-signed in February. Though his layoff was contract-related, Newell isn’t the first WSOF fighter to complain about not getting a fight. He said with his new contract, inactivity won’t be an issue.

They signed a big roster, and they didn’t have enough events, and I think that was the problem. They’re tuning down with the number of signings now and making an attempt to keep the guys more active. I’ve worked something into my contract that will keep me more active. I can’t complain about that now. Obviously this long layoff was not ideal, I was ready to go in December. But it is what it is. I get a hometown fight. I probably could have used a paycheck around Christmas time, but it is what it is, I don’t waste my money, I’m pretty good with it.

Newell’s home base is Fighting Arts Academy in Springfield, MA. He travels there from Connecticut to train during the week, and heads home on the weekends. His 13th professional fight will be his first in his home state. Newell noted the crowd will be filled with friends, family and fans, saying:

This is my first fight ever in Connecticut, not as an amateur, not as a pro, I’ve never fought in Connecticut. Everyone I train with has fought in Connecticut…The closest I’ve fought to Connecticut as a pro is Boston, which is about three hours away from where I live. So I guess that is a local high, but not really, you know. This is in my home state. It’s about an hour from where I grew up, but it’s at the casino and everybody loves going to the casino. I’ve already sold a bunch of tickets, and my teammate Leon Davis is also on the card, and he sold a bunch of tickets, so combined the place is going to go insane.

Newell’s climb back up the lightweight ladder starts with Joe Condon. Condon made his WSOF debut at WSOF 17 in January, stepping up on weigh-in day from a prelim fight to the co-main event. He made the most of the opportunity and defeated Jonathan Nunez with a third-round guillotine choke.

Newell knows he’s going in there against a veteran and fellow submission artist, but feels his mat skills are superior. He also feels he’ll be the better athlete in the cage, saying:

My coaches watched a lot of footage on him, and came up with some stuff I need to work on. I know he’s very relaxed, this will be his 20th pro fight, so he’s definitely a veteran. He’s fought a lot of good guys, and he’s fought a lot of fights at 170, so he’s big for the weight class. But I feel like I’m really strong for the weight class. I don’t think many people are much stronger than me. My explosion and my athleticism are through the roof now. I’ve been working at Ramos Athletic Conditioning Center on my strength and conditioning.

You know, [Condon is] good wherever the fight goes, he has good Jiu-Jitsu. He’s got a lot of submission wins. But I’m a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, and if he wants to go to the ground with me, that’s his mistake.

Even though Newell still feels an illegal knee from Gaethje impacted the fight, he isn’t holding hard feelings towards the champion. Newell is over the loss and focused on getting back on the track to the title, whether it’s held by Gaethje.

I don’t really care [about avenging the Gaethje loss]…I’d obviously like to win the belt a little more than I would like to avenge that loss. I just don’t dwell on the past. If they offered me another fight with Justin I would take it, no problem. But it’s not like I’m sitting in my room with a candle lit, staring at a picture of Justin, hating my life. He beat me. Sometimes you lose.

Newell isn’t a stranger to losing. Even though his MMA career got off to a stellar start, he came up short in his first 17 high school wrestling matches. He used the feeling of defeat as fuel to continue winning, and even though he may no longer be undefeated in mixed martial arts, he says he isn’t letting the loss ruin all the hard work he has put in to get here, saying:

You only really lose when you give up. I never had any concrete goals in this sport, to be honest with you. I really just made a promise to myself to give it my all, train as hard as I could, and always fight to the best of my ability or give it everything I have, and then whatever happen, happens. And it’s taken me pretty far in this sport. I lost. It sucks. Did I want to lose? No. Do I feel a sense of relief? Hell no. I’d rather be undefeated, but it happens.

If I let something like one loss ruin me, then all my hard work that I’ve put in since I started wrestling when I was 14 years old, it means nothing if I just give up after getting sidetracked one time. That’s why I am where I am, because I didn’t give up. I lost my first 17 wrestling matches. I was getting killed and everyone in my high school was watching it. It was embarrassing. So I know what it’s like to be a loser, it sucks. And I think that’s why I win so much, because it keeps me humble, and keeps me hungry. I never want to go back to that, and no one is perfect.  

So I lost, but I’m not done. Hell no. I’m better than what I showed. I had a bad night, and I know that isn’t the real me. I’m going to pick up the pieces and put them back together and come back stronger.