Nick Newell gets Contender Series nod from Dana White, now one step from UFC

It might not be the UFC, but it’s one step closer.

UFC president Dana White has extended an offer to Nick Newell for a Tuesday Night Contender Series fight this summer, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed Wednesday night. An impressive victory there would surely lead to a UFC contract. ESPN was the first to report the news.

“I want to thank Dana White, Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard for believing in me and giving me a shot,” Newell told Helwani. “I still have to go out there and deliver. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

Newell (14-1), a congenital amputee born without the lower portion of his left arm, has been a successful MMA fighter since 2009. He stepped away from the cage in 2015, but returned last month with a submission victory over Sonny Luque at lFA 35. Newell, 32, has long said his goal was to make it to the UFC and proved himself more than capable as a fighter with World Series of Fighting between 2013 and 2015.

The lone loss of Newell’s career came against current UFC fighter Justin Gaethje, at WSOF 11 in 2014. The Connecticut native has 11 finishes in his 14 career wins.

“I want to thank Dana White,” Newell’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz said. “He’s been making dreams come true for 20 years, and he just made one of Nick’s biggest dreams become true. I’m grateful. Stuff like this makes me humble.”