Nick Newell: 'I Want to Be Known as a Great Fighter, Not the Guy That Fights With One Hand'

@BellatorMMA having a public press conference at 11 tom. in the Bridgeport, CT city hall. As the Mayor welcomes the promotion to the city for the first time. @mattmitrione, @kimbelmike and @NotoriousNewell will be there. They’re sure showcasing Mr. Newell a lot for 1-fight deal guy pic.twitter.com/whKXrHCSwK

— Jason Burgos (@CheapSeatsChat) August 21, 2019

Nick Newell will make his Bellator MMA debut on the prelims of Bellator 225, where he will be taking on Corey Browning.

For "Notorious," fighting in Bellator will be amazing. It will be another chance to showcase to the world just how good he is, regardless of if he only has one hand.

"It is a fine line. I have never been a guy to say, 'Oh look at me, I'm defying the odds.' Everyone has their own problems which are holding them back. Mine is just visual," Newell said to Sherdog.com. "I want to be considered 'Nick Newell a great fighter,' not 'Nick Newell a one-handed fighter.' I don't want to be known as the guy that fights with one hand … [I] just [want to] be recognized as one of the best at what I do."

So far in his career, he has done just that. He is the former Xtreme Fighting Championships lightweight titlist, and went toe-to-toe with Justin Gaethje for the World Series of Fighting lightweight crown in 2014. With only has two losses in his 17-fight career, he knows his experience will be a factor in this fight. Check out some of the other interesting facts about Newell here!

"I don't think I am one of those prospects he has been beating. There is a difference between a prospect and a veteran in terms of skill, composure," he explained. "The last two guys he beat, they are tough but they lacked the composure it takes to be elite. I have that and a well-rounded skill set. I feel like I have fought tougher guys and better guys. He has fought some good guys, too, just not at the same level."

When Newell makes the walk to the cage, he will do so on a one-fight deal with Bellator. His hope is that with this win, he can secure a long-term contract where he can get paid what he feels he is worth. First, he must beat Browning, which "Notorious" believes is a tough task, but knows he is the better fighter.

"I'm comfortable wherever it goes. I have knocked people out, and I have submitted people. I've submitted a lot more people than he has submitted," he said. "But, I have more submission wins than he has fights. For me, it is about going out there and getting the job done. I'm good either way."

In the end, Newell expects win in front of his hometown crowd, where the Connecticut native says his friends, family and fans will turn out in droves at this event.

"I'd say a couple of hundred [people will come out to watch me]. It will be insane though," he concluded. "To fight here is surreal. It is an amazing venue and all the biggest events go there, so it is somewhere I wanted to fight at."