WSOF 4 Results: Nick Newell Defeats Keon Caldwell Via First Round Submission

Nick Newell, the mixed martial artist who has made a sizable splash in the MMA world by finding success in spite of congenital amputation leaving him without half his left arm, made his long-awaited debut in a major promotion Saturday during World Series of Fighting 4. Newell made the most of that opportunity, scoring an impressive first round submission over Keon Caldwell.

Newell was rocked early in the first round, but used his strong wrestling to escape danger. From there, he worked the fight to the cage and after securing a takedown, locked up a tight guillotine choke to force a tap.

Fighting across the east coast as part of the Xtreme Fighting Championship, Newell amassed a 9-0 record coming into the fight. He advances to 10-0 and may find himself facing one of the veteran lightweights on the WSOF roster.

 Newell and his former promotion, XFC, had an ugly divorce stemming from their inability to secure ex-UFC fighters as opponents. That isn't the case with WSOF, and Newell could realistically find himself fighting recognizable veterans like Dan Lauzon, Jacob Volkmann or Gesias Cavalcante.

In spite of this win, and his impressive record to this point, Newell is still unlikely to receive much attention from the UFC. Newell has been clear on his desire to join the UFC, but UFC president Dana White has expressed reluctance to give the wrestler a shot.

WARNING: The video clip below contains adult language

 WSOF offers a clear path to the top for him, however, as well as a solid fanbase. It will be quite interesting to see where Newell goes from here.