Exclusive: Nick Newell vs. Jesse Zeugin Booked for Shark Fights 19

CagePotato.com has confirmed with Shark Fights officials that Proving Ground winner Nick Newell (5-0) will make his promotional debut at Shark Fights 19 against fellow lightweight Jesse Zeugin, a 29-year-old fighter from Missouri who holds a 5-2 record with all wins by submission within the first two rounds. Zeugin last competed at Titan Fighting Championship 18 in May, where he lost to Joe “The Nose” Wilk via anaconda choke. He trains out of the Springfield Fight Club alongside TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson and Strikeforce/Bellator vet Zak Cummings.

Shark Fights 19 takes place September 10th at the Independence Events Center in Independence, Missouri. We’ll release the full fight lineup in the next few days. If you want to come hang out with us at the show, get your tickets here, and follow Shark Fights on Facebook and Twitter.

What Happened Next

Nick Newell won his Shark Fights debut and kept his record perfect, building to 8-0 by 2012 and then winning the XFC lightweight title. A fighter born without most of his left arm, he became one of the most inspiring stories in the sport and earned a 2014 World Series of Fighting title shot against future UFC star Justin Gaethje.

This booking was one of the first rewards of Newell’s win in CagePotato’s Proving Ground competition, which was set up to give exposure to promising fighters on the regional scene.