I think about retirement a lot. Being in my early twenties, I tell myself that I must be getting a leg up on my competition by devoting so much thought to the “R-word” so early in life.
Akin to Muhammad Ali running in the middle of the night to get the slightest advantage over his opponents, I tell myself that preparing early will make life easier down the road.
That’s why I wasn’t all that surprised by World Series of Fighting standout Nick Newell’s recent retirement announcement. After getting the unanimous decision win over Tom Marcellino at WSOF 24 this past weekend, Newell made the emotional announcement.
But at 29, and with only a single loss on his professional record, many were taken aback by Newell’s announcement. Here was a kid that, despite all odds, was not only competing in MMA at a high level, but was winning fights on national television.
In fact, he fought for the WSOF lightweight title barely a year ago. Though it was a losing effort, he quickly picked up two more wins and, by all indicators, was headed towards another title shot.
That is, until last weekend. According to Newell’s Instagram post after the fight, his body just isn’t what it used to be.
“[It was] very tough training for this fight and my last few fights due to continuing problems with injuries. I’m only 29 but I have a lot of miles on me.”
Having wrestled throughout high school and college, coupled with other amateur sport pursuits along the way, Newell has had little down time in his athletic life.
Born a congenital amputee missing his left arm from the elbow down, many were surprised at Newell’s initial success in the cage. He quickly amassed a perfect 11-0 record, picking up the XFC lightweight strap along the way, before challenging Justin Gaethje for the WSOF title last year.
The road was never easy for Newell. Though he had an extremely supportive mother by his side, those outside the family held reservations against Newell, especially when he began the transition from college wrestling to MMA.
For promoters, the risk was clear. If you sign a guy with one arm and he gets dominated in front of an audience, you’re the POS who allowed him to fight. For opponents, there was the matter of ego to contend with. What if you lost to the dude with one hand? But Newell never fed into any of it. He just continued winning, and finishing, fights.
After enjoying such success in the smaller leagues, Newell made it clear his aspirations were for the big show. He made headlines in 2013 after refusing to fight anyone that wasn’t a former UFC fighter; he wanted to make it clear he could compete against elite-level competition. The proclamation ended up costing Newell the XFC belt, but afforded him the opportunity to compete for NBC’s World Series of Fighting whose roster was full of UFC castoffs.
Now, after going 4-1 in one of the sport’s biggest promotions, Newell is calling it a career.
And who can blame him? Mixed martial arts is a sport that costs athletes a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort to be competitive, even at the amateur level. Newell has no doubt paid a physical toll after his six year MMA career, and in a sport where the real problems don’t show up until it’s too late to do anything about them, he’s made the right choice.
In an interview with Jeremy Botter for Bleacher Report, Newell acknowledged he’s found success through hard work. “I’ve never been the guy who just shows up and is instantly good at something. I’m the guy who shows up to the gym first and leaves last,” he says.
Nick Newell was, and is, an inspiration for thousands of young people born without limbs across the world; his work with the Lucky Fin project is evidence to his profound compassion for others. I’m sure he will be successful in whatever endeavor he chooses. His tenacity and aptitude for new challenges has proved nothing less over his career.
