Following his unanimous decision win over Tom Marcellino at WSOF 24 this past weekend, ‘Notorious’ Nick Newell announced his retirement. In a backstage interview immediately after the fight, Newell cited numerous injuries as his reason for retiring despite being on a 2-fight win streak.
Newell joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday to discuss his retirement, and further explain the injuries that forced him to retire.
“It was the right decision for me, I feel. In the end, time will tell. For me, it’s been really tough training for these fights. I feel like I underperformed my last three fights and I felt like, really, it was out of my control. I’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries throughout my fight camps. Every time, it just seems like I get some momentum going, I get hurt and I can’t do anything, so I gotta take it easy and I gotta not train and I gotta step back.”
“Then when I fight, my cardio becomes an issue because I haven’t been train as hard as I should be when I have these important fights coming up. It just seems like I have a bunch of things that keep coming back even if I take care of them proper. It’s just a little overwhelming for me. I don’t want to treat my fans or anyone that likes me to a watered-down version of me. I want the best version of me possible. I just felt like it was time to step away.”
“At the end of the day, it is about winning and doing your best,” he continued. “I don’t feel like I can perform at my best anymore.”
Newell compiled an impressive 13-1 record throughout his 6 year MMA career, with his only loss being against undefeated WSOF champion Justin Gaethje back in 2014.