Video: ‘Proving Ground’ Winner Nick Newell Is Rising Above the Challenges

Nick Newell: 2011 CagePotato.com ‘Proving Ground’ Winner

With less than two weeks until Nick Newell’s fight against Jesse Zeugin at Shark Fights 19 (September 10th; Independence, MO), Break Media Creative Lab spent some time with Nick and put together this killer video profile. (Thanks guys!)

Nick Newell’s Proving Ground Journey

The undefeated lightweight — and winner of our Proving Ground competition — discusses his competitive nature and the unique challenges he’s faced during his quest for MMA greatness. Check it out, and stay tuned for more exclusives from “Notorious” leading up to the fight.

Editor’s note: The original Break.com video embed and historical social-media links are no longer included in this restored article.

What Happened Next

Nick Newell, born without most of his left arm, became one of MMA’s most inspiring stories. He went on to win the XFC lightweight title and built an unbeaten record before fighting Justin Gaethje for the World Series of Fighting lightweight title in 2014, a fight Gaethje won by stoppage.

Newell later competed on Dana White‘s Contender Series in 2018, losing a decision to Alex Munoz, and has since worked as a coach and advocate for adaptive athletes. He was CagePotato’s Proving Ground winner, and his career proved the competition had picked a fighter worth backing.