UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] is more than willing to throw down with [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag].
Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) faces Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) this Friday on the main card of Bellator 241, looking to rebound from his upset loss to Manny Muro last October.
It was a frustrating homecoming for Newell, who struggled to fend off Muro’s takedowns and clinch game in the latter rounds of the split-decision loss, but he insists that he won’t allow that to happen again.
“You look at all my fights, everyone says, ‘Oh, Nick’s a grappler, he’s a black belt,’ but the only way that people beat me is just by holding a stupid-ass body lock and not fighting me,” Newell told MMA Junkie. “So, like, that’s the only way that people are going to beat me, but I trained this fight to stop that. If that’s what he tries to do, it’s not going to work.”
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Newell may have finished the majority of his fights by submission, but he says he is happy to keep things on the feet, where he vows to make Zane pay if he decides to stand and trade.
“My striking, everyone says they’re going to knock me out, and I hit them, and then they start wrestling and I submit them, but it’s the truth,” Newell said. “Watch any of my fights, you’ll see it, and I think he thinks that he has a big advantage on me on the feet, and I know that’s not the case. I’m going to show him. I’ll draw the line in the sand, and if he wants to come out and bang with me, then he’s going to be in trouble.”
Newell chalks his last loss up to too many obligations while running his gym, diverting his attention away from the fight. He gets another opportunity to compete in front of his home crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena, where he’s looking to make a statement.
“I just think about myself and just being the best martial artist that I can,” Newell said. “He’s definitely talented or else he wouldn’t have won in Bellator. You have to be good to win in Bellator and to get this fight, but I just think I’m at the top level. I really know that I am, and what I’m capable of and if I go out and show it, there’s no stopping me.”
Bellator 241’s main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
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