Video: Check Out Potato Nation Member Nick Newell’s Appearance on Inside MMA Ahead of His XFC Debut Friday |

(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNetFights)

Proving Ground winner and Potato Nation member in good standing Nick Newell appeared on Inside MMA on Monday with Ron Kruck to talk about his upcoming XFC fight and the tragic passing of his good friend Abi Mestre back in April.

“Notorious” Nick’s XFC debut will be a bittersweet one as Abi won the XFC contest for a slot on the promotion’s roster and Nick came second. After Mestre was killed in a motorcycle accident in the spring, the XFC reached out to Nick and offered him the contract in Abi’s place and he accepted with the blessing of Abi’s family.

Newell will take on 3-3 Florida fighter Denis Hernandez Friday night at XFC 15 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL. The event will be broadcast live on HDNet, so if you get the chance to watch it, tune in and cheer on one of our own.

Good luck, Nick!

What Happened Next

Nick Newell, born without most of his left arm, went on to win the XFC lightweight title and build 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. He was the winner of CagePotato’s Proving Ground competition, and his career proved the readers had backed the right fighter.