Original subtitles

Are you ready?

Are you ready?

And fight.

Tap! Tap!

That's it. That's it.

Let me see it. Give it to me.

Give it!

Leave him alone!

Hey, guys, look.

- I got the freak's arm! - Give it back!

What's your name?

Nick.

My name's Abi. You watch wrestling?

Every Saturday morning.

Me too. I watch it every Saturday Morning, too.

- Even the reruns? - Yeah. Who's your favorite?

Probably "The Bear Braun".

Cool.

It's yours. You keep it.

Cool. Thanks.

- Hi. - Hi.

Is Nick here?

- What's your name? - Abi.

Abi. Okay, um... Nick, Abi's here!

- I'll show you to his room. - Alright.

We must be twins.

I have those same posters.

I'm the main event. I never lose a bout!

Here comes a sucka-sucka-sucker punch. Lights out.

I fear no man, no beast, or evil brother.

Awesome! My turn.

When I grow up, I want to be a professional wrestler.

Have a big house. Own four Harley's.

Harley's? What's that?

Only the greatest motorcycle ever made.

My dad promised he'd buy me one when I turn 16.

- What about your dad? - What about him?

- Where is he? - Don't know.

What do you mean you "don't know"?

He left when I was a baby.

Well, he sucks.

Yeah. He does.

Sucka Punch Pinsky's on the top apron and...

pile drives an elbow into his head.

Hey, hey, hey, hey! Knock it off!

Why don't you guys stop faking like you wrestle, and do it for real, huh?

A girl.

You've got to be kidding me.

Hey, Shelby, eat shit.

Hey, what are you laughing at, "Elbow"?

His name is Nick.

No, it ain't, it's Elbow.

Alright, cut the crap.

Everybody gather around.

Come on, move it like you mean it.

There you go. Come on, come on.

You, you, you, you, let's do this.

Come on, Elbow, you better not lose to a girl.

You know what, don't you worry about me, man.

Coach must know I'm the only one that can handle the ladies.

Holy crap! Oh, my God!

Elbow just lost to a girl!

Alright. Okay, alright.

Let's, uh... Maybe we need to go over some basics.

You're not gonna quit.

- Everybody laughed at me. - So what?

- "So what?" - So what?

The kids already make fun of me because of my arm,

now I get beat by a girl, I mean...

Do you like wrestling?

- Yeah. - Well, then you're gonna stick with it.

Listen, if you don't believe in yourself why would anybody else?

Holy shit, man! Are you kidding me?

Man, this is a 1979 Harley Davidson Shovelhead.

This beauty has a high performance engine

running 1,340 cc's of pure aggression.

S&S heads and carburetor, all chrome parts,

polished up with a two-tone metal flake blue and green and a white pearl finish.

I have no idea what you just said.

Chicks dig bikes.

Keep telling yourself that.

Wait, is that jealousy I smell?

Oh-oh, yes, it is, Nick, and it's strong.

It's strong man.

- Come on, we're going to be late. - Yeah.

Alright, there you go. Take him down.

Take him down.

Keep active, keep active. Active.

Alright.

Okay, okay, okay. Good, Abi, good.

Good, stand up.

Nick. Nick.

You can't let him get position like that.

Okay, so here, let's do it.

Alright, if he gets the leg, then loop your arm like this.

Punch the wizard, there.

Now you've got leverage, you can throw him over your leg.

Got it?

Questions, comments, concerns?

- Yeah, I got it. - Okay. Alright, then try.

Your turn, come on.

There you go. Yeah, there you go, alright.

Loop your arm, loop your arm, loop your arm!

Faster, faster!

Alright, good, Abi.

Nick, do you know what happened there?

- Yeah, he kicked my ass. - Good observation. Do you know why?

That's the key to getting better.

See how that works?

Left arm behind the head.

You only need your right-hand to pull this off.

Alright, it's your turn.

Not bad.

Alright, guys, come on, huddle up.

Come on, move it.

Remember, every point counts, stay off your backs.

Abi, you're up.

Alright, send him out.

Yeah.

- One, two, three... - Abi!

Come on, work. Work, Abi, work!

Run the bar, run the bar.

Come on, get him, Abi. Get him!

Yes!

Good, Abi, good.

- Good job, son. - Thank you, sir.

Hey, hey, hey, yes! Good job.

Next up at 150lbs:

Nick Newell versus Tyler Burrow.

- Alright, let's send him out. - Let's go.

- Alright. - Let's go, Nick.

- One, two, three... - Nick.

- You've got this, bro. - Remember the basics.

Remember what we talked about, stay focused.

You got this.

- You can do it. - Come on.

It's all yours.

Tough finish.

Geez, Coach, kid only had one arm.

Good effort.

Hey...

you'll get him next time, alright.

Nick, dinner's ready.

Come on.

What's wrong?

I can't do this, Mom.

Look, the only disability in life

is a shitty attitude, Nick.

You can do it.

Jim, over here! Jim, I want you to meet my son.

Jim, hi, how are you?

- Jim Abbott. - So they tell me.

Mr. Abbott, my son is a big fan of yours.

I mean, if we could just have a moment of your time.

He's a wrestler, he's not very good but he's...

- Mom. - What?

Wrestling, huh?

I'll tell you what, I don't have to be back for a few minutes

so why don't we go over here and have a chat.

Come on, let's go.

So you're a wrestler, huh?

Yeah, but, um...

But what?

I suck.

Do you want to know something?

I sucked too, when I was in high school.

But I loved baseball, more than anything.

And I stuck with it.

If you love wrestling,

you've got to work harder than everyone else.

But do what you love.

Stick with it.

And never give up.

- Oh, hey, Coach. - Oh, Nick will be right out.

Coach, I wanted to talk to you about something.

Sure, what's up?

I was wondering if you thought there might be a way

for Nick to get better, quicker.

Well, there's-there's wrestling camp

over the summer but it's...

- But? - But it's not cheap,

and I'm never comfortable spending other people's money.

Alright, let me worry about that.

Sorry, I'm late. I'll get dinner ready.

No, don't worry about it.

No, it'll only take me a few minutes.

- Mom, sit down. - Hm...

What's wrong?

What's-what's the matter?

Why were these in the trash?

Because Coach Jeremy thinks you should go

to wrestling camp this summer, and I happen to be in agreement.

I know.

Well, then why didn't you say anything?

Because we can't afford it.

That is not for you to worry about.

- I'm not going. - Yes, you are.

It's already been decided, Nick.

You need that money, for nursing school, it's important.

It is not as important.

And when you become a parent one day you will realize

that your kids dreams come before your own, okay?

Please allow me that.

Just promise me... promise me one day you're gonna go to nursing school.

Okay, I promise you.

Alright, time to get back in the game, right?

You've got to get your head right, out of summer.

Gonna be a great season.

Hey, come on. Come on, you guys, sit down.

Join us. Nick, Abi, sit down.

Abi, Nick, welcome back.

Great.

We're gonna suck again this year.

Hey. Hey, that's enough, Shelby. It's a team effort.

Then Elbow doesn't belong on the team.

Well, you're one to talk Shelby.

Only move your good at is shitting out of your mouth.

Cool it, Newell.

- Hey... - You know, how about we wrestle?

Yeah.

How about we wrestle.

Elbow, what dreamland are you living in?

I want to wrestle him, Coach.

Tell you what, if you win I'll walk.

Alright, Nick.

So if he wins, no more nicknames, right?

- Do it, Shelby. - Alright.

You scared?

Alright, freak, let's do this.

Wrestle.

Come on, Nick, kick his ass.

Where are you going?

You done yet?

Not even close.

Yes!

No, no, no.

Okay, alright, he's pinned, he's pinned. It's over.

Yes!

Hey!

That's not fair!

I was clearly outside of the circle.

- What, you want to go again? - No, no, it's over it's over. Newell won.

No more nicknames, period.

Nice.

Whoo!

You're a beast, man

I agree.

Nick Newell and Jeff Sommers to the mat.

Alright, alright, listen to me,

this guy is strong, and he has good technique.

Alright. Any weaknesses?

Uh, nope, he's basically like the perfect wrestler.

- Sick. - No, Nick, you can beat him.

Just don't let him dictate the action.

Stay aggressive, and go right after him.

Hey, hey, hey, who's the coach here?

- Sorry, Coach. - Alright, Nick, listen.

Listen, I want you to do... to do exactly what Abi says.

Huh? We only need one more match win to get us to regionals.

Alright, okay, huddle up, come on.

Alright, it's Nick. Here we go.

- Alright, one, two, three... - Nick!

Nick, Nick, you done?

There's a consolation match coming up in...

Oh, man, I am freezing my ass off out here.

Alright, I'm going back inside.

If you're not right behind me I'm gonna tell the officials

that you're forfeiting the consolation round because you quit.

Are you a quitter, Newell?

Just remember, remember Nick,

fear is only temporary, regret is forever.

Got 'em.

Dammit.

Oh, you're getting much better, man.

Yeah.

- Almost. Yeah. - Almost? How about a rematch?

- Let's go. - Rematch?

Can we get some more beers

whenever you get a chance, please? Thank you.

I missed you, man. It's been a while.

Yeah.

Yeah, man, too long.

Let's not let that happen again.

Deal.

I'm going to empty the tanks real quick, alright.

Yeah.

- I'm sorry, man. - What the hell, man?

Are we done here?

Yeah, we're done.

That was crazy. Where the hell did you learn how to do that?

Yeah, man, I know, I...

That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Check this out.

So this is mixed martial arts?

Yeah, man, it's a combat sport

that combines both striking and wrestling.

It's growing like crazy right now.

And you want to know what the best part is?

What?

We get paid.

That's-that's cool and all, Abi.

We're not MMA fighters.

Yeah, but we're wrestlers,

which is the best foundation to start with.

Come on.

Hey, you here for the try outs?

Oh, yeah.

- Tryouts? - Yes, next week.

Several of you will beat the shit out of each other,

and one of you will be the winner,

and get $500 and a fight

in next month's amateur promotion.

Do you want to fill one out?

Five-hundred bucks right?

If you're the winner, yeah.

Yeah, give me an application.

- Alright then. - Thank you.

Good thing you write with your right hand.

This is what you want to do to make money?

Hell, yeah. It pays well.

Besides, these guys are strikers.

You get them to the ground and they're helpless.

Mm.

How many punches am I gonna have to take before I get them to the ground?

A few, but you've got a thick skull.

You're up.

Show 'em how it's done, man.

Let's go, Abi!

Oh, sh...

Come on, man, come on.

Come on, Abi, lock it in!

Yes! Come on, baby! Hell, yeah!

Okay, next up.

My boy.

That's not bad, man.

Alright. Kick his ass, alright.

- Alright, man. - Yeah. Go get him.

Alright, guys, let's keep it clean.

I just want to see your skills, okay?

Yo, I can't fight this guy.

You know, if I had a dollar

for every asswipe that's said that,

I wouldn't have to fight for this 500.

Bro, who are you calling an asswipe, man?

Okay, you know what, to compete in this promotion,

you actually need to physically beat him not with your scary words.

So let's fight, huh? You guys ready?

It's your funeral, gimp.

Okay. Fight.

Gotta protect yourself, Nick.

Wrestle, Nick, wrestle! Get him to the ground!

There you go.

Okay, uh, he's technically asleep now, so nice going.

Yes!

Whoo!

Alright, uh, first of all,

I want to thank all of you for coming out

and kicking ass the way you did. Very impressive.

I wish we had more than one spot quite frankly,

because a few of you really could be moving on at this point.

But only one of you can, as promised.

So without further ado,

the winner is Abi Maestre.

Look at this guy. How about that?

Hey, drinks on me tonight, fellas.

Alright, but listen up,

you got four weeks to prepare, okay.

This Matt Bartunek, he's not to be taken lightly.

He'll rip off your head and show it to you before you die, you understand?

- Yes, sir. - Alright, let's hear it for him.

- Alright, alright, alright. - Whoo!

All you other losers better beware,

he'll smash you, and thrash you, Bubba the Bear!

The Bear's in trouble.

Ladies and gentlemen, we might have a new champion.

Ahh, not so fast.

Come on, man.

I gotta get going, man.

I'm having dinner with my dad.

Your dad, seriously?

Yeah.

I'll fill you in later.

Alright.

Man I, uh... I wish you were fighting too.

Nah, they picked the best guy.

Besides, man, for the first time in my life, I...

I feel like I have some sort of direction.

So thank you for that.

You always have my back.

Of course, man, you're my brother.

You're my brother.

Now, I'll see you tomorrow, right?

Yes, sir.

Hey, yo, Nick, do me a favor, alright?

What's up?

Keep your hands up.

Keep my hands up?

Yeah, yeah?

Need a hand with that?

Is that a joke?

Oh, hell no, I-I didn't mean that I just was...

I'm kidding, Erroll.

Um... it's okay to call me dad.

Yeah, I know.

Is that why you changed your last name to Newell?

Are you ashamed of my name?

No.

But Mom was.

Listen, Nick, I don't know what your mom told you about why I left...

but there is so much more...

She told me that you were a selfish shit

who freaked out at the idea of raising a kid with one arm.

That sounds like typical Stacey bullshit.

Hey, Nick, Nick, Nick. Come on, come...

I'm sorry, come on, come back.

Come on.

No, you listen to me.

You don't get to talk to her like that.

You don't get to speak about her like that.

You weren't there for me and she was.

You weren't there for me when I needed you.

She's more of a parent to me that you would ever be.

I know.

I know.

I let you down, and I'm sorry.

I couldn't get my shit together.

I had some issues, some demons that I couldn't quite drown.

But, look, I-I'm... I'm better now.

You know what, just..

Don't worry about it.

Mom and I did just fine.

I know you did.

I noticed you're wrestling again.

How'd you know that?

Hey, how'd you know I even wrestled in the first place?

Well, I... I check in.

Always have.

Second chance.

Second chance.

Hey, Mom.

Mom?

Mom, what's wrong?

Mom...

Abi was in a motorcycle accident.

Well, is he okay?

Nick, he died.

What?

What?

- I'm so sorry. - Abi's dead?

- No. - Nick...

No. No, Mom, no, no.

Why?! Why?! Why him?!

Why?! Why him?! Why?!

Hey, Nick.

Yeah.

Listen, uh...

I just wanted to say how sorry I am about Abi.

I know how close you two were.

Yeah.

Yeah, you guys, uh,

you both showed real skill during the try outs, you know.

I watch you train every day.

Thank you.

Yeah, we still got that promotional fight...

against Bartunek, you know, coming up.

How would you feel about stepping in?

For Abi?

I watch you train every day with him.

You're ready.

And I'll pay you the same 500 I promised to him.

The fight's in two days.

Yeah, okay, $1,000 then.

And we got the championship arena.

Hey, what the hell else you gonna do on Saturday night?

Hey, you got a nickname?

Um, no.

How about Notorious Nick?

Eh, try it on.

Welcome home.

Wow, Chinese food.

I mean, this is something else.

I got you your favorite too, here.

You're up to something.

What is this?

There's no way you're not going to finish nursing school, Mom.

Where did you get this type of money?

- Where? - I'm filling in for Abi.

You're fighting?

- Yeah. - Are you out of your mind?

I mean, who's gonna pay for your medical bills, Nick, when you get hurt?

We don't have medical insurance.

You're almost a nurse, right, so...

Very funny.

Mom, I'm gonna be careful.

Okay, I know how to protect myself.

No, no, this is... this is... this is crazy.

Look, you've been taking care of me my entire life.

I want to help, it's my turn.

Well, I guess if you're gonna fight you better kick some ass.

I mean, some serious ass kicking.

I will.

Oh, my God.

All for me?

Nick.

Coach.

Long time, no see. What's up?

Um...

Look, I have... I have a fight coming up.

I was wondering if you would work my corner.

I don't work with quitters, kid.

- Coach, this-this fight... - I can't do it.

My time's too valuable.

Good luck.

It's time for our next contest.

Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,

with a record of six wins and zero losses,

please welcome

Matt "The Beast" Bartunek.

And in the blue corner, fighting for the first time,

please welcome Notorious Nick Newell.

Notorious.

To the center, gentlemen.

Now, remember, protect yourself at all times.

If you don't have any questions, just touch gloves. Good luck.

Are you ready?

Are you ready?

And fight.

Nick.

Wrestle, dammit.

Tap! Tap!

That's it, that's it.

How is he?

He's a very lucky man.

If you start getting headaches or feeling nauseous,

you need to see a doctor immediately.

- Understand? - He understands.

I didn't know.

- Know what? - I didn't know how brutal this sport is.

I can't watch you take another beatdown like that.

What does that mean?

It means that you cannot fight again

or you're gonna get seriously hurt.

I'll be fine, I promise.

You cannot promise me that about this.

You can't promise me that you're not gonna end up in a hospital,

brain dead with tubes keeping you alive.

- You're being overly dramatic. - Am I?

You always told me that I could be anything I put my mind to.

That doesn't mean that you're superhuman,

and that you're not gonna get seriously hurt!

You need to quit before that ends up happening.

I can't believe you're telling me to quit.

Listen to me.

Listen to me.

I have always told you that I would be honest with you no matter how much it hurts you,

and you cannot make a career of this sport Nick. You cannot.

I don't need to hear that from you right now.

I've heard that shit my entire life,

I don't need to hear it from you!

Well, you just did.

Coach.

I thought I might find you here.

I saw your fight the other night.

You shoulda won.

Instead, you fought stupid with anger

and let your emotions get the better of you.

Anything else?

You went toe-to-toe with a puncher.

Played right into his strength

instead of exploiting his weakness, which was wrestling.

Did I do anything right?

Yeah, you showed unbelievable heart.

That can't be learned. You either have it or you don't.

You have it in spades, kid.

I should have never quit on you.

You know, you didn't quit on me,

you quit on yourself, you quit on the team.

I didn't think I was good enough.

What makes you think you're good enough now?

Because Abi thought so.

It's okay to grieve, kid.

Grieving leaves scars that each wears as a badge of honor.

It means you love someone.

And take it from me, the mourning will never stop.

And you should never want it to.

I wanted to win the fight for him.

You don't honor Abi by winning a fight.

Win the fights for yourself.

You're gonna have to listen to what I say, and trust me.

You saying you're going to train me?

Coach...

I need to do this.

You know I don't know shit about mixed martial arts.

Does it look like I do?

No, no. We're going to learn.

Alright, all the way down.

All the way down.

Alright, that's good.

Come on, come on, come on! One more.

Push, push. You can do it.

Oh, your new sparring partner's here.

He's pretty square on his opponent.

See this guy? This guy, too, is dominating, right?

Look how this guy backs up... then he sneaks by.

But now he-he seems like he's...

- Certainly being the aggressor. - Right.

Alright, Nick.

Nick, we made it, man.

We made it. We are here, fight number one.

Alright, prove you belong. Prove you belong!

Fighter, are you ready?

Fighter, are you ready?

Fight.

Get out of there, get out of there!

You got it. You got him. Hold him!

Oh, oh! Whoa! Whoo!

KO! KO, KO, KO!

Jab! Give me a pop up.

Give me a pop up. There.

There, Nick...

Alright, here we go.

He doesn't look that tough.

Yeah, yeah! Hell, yeah! Whoo!

I guess looks can be deceiving.

Rich, hey.

It's Nick.

Hey, Rich.

I just wanted to, uh, congratulate you on your win.

Hey, thanks, man.

It's gonna be a real honor to fight you.

Fight me? Fat chance.

What do you mean?

Nick's ranked number one, he's your mandatory.

I don't give a shit.

I'm a legitimate fighter, not a publicity stunt.

Who the hell are you calling a publicity stunt?

I can't even take you serious, little boy.

Look, how do we benefit in either case?

- It's a lose-lose. - Right.

If we beat you, then Rich beat a one-handed fighter.

And if he loses...

then he lost to a one-handed fighter.

Pretty much.

Look, I earned my way here.

Sure, you did.

The hell is that supposed to mean?

C'mon, man, everybody knows that promoters

use you to draw big crowds and match you up with bums.

It's no secret.

Okay, if you're so sure then take the fight.

You don't seem to get it do you.

You're a sideshow, a marketing ploy.

You're giving real fighters a bad name.

- This sideshow's about to beat your ass! - Hey. Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Alright, we're not taking the bait,

and we are not taking the fight.

Now you guys need to get out of here right now.

Now!

This isn't over.

We're going to take this to the XFC!

Yeah, yeah, good luck.

Come on, let's go! Come on, Nick.

Go! Get the hell out of here.

Nice meeting you.

Hey, guy.

Hey, uh, I got some bad news.

Uh, XFC has a new sanctioning board

and after looking at our application

they've, uh, announced they're not going to sanction a fight.

What?

Yeah, yeah, they're denying your right to fight.

No, no. They can't... they can't do that.

- I know. - Look, I earned my way here.

- You did. - They cannot do that.

You did, I know.

Let's-let's step over here and talk about it.

I mean, what the hell is the point

of having rankings if they're not going to honor them?

I understand, okay. Let's-let's stay calm

and try to think this through.

Nick's a contender for the title, this is his shot.

Of course it is, alright, no one's doubting that,

it's just this is a new sanctioning board

and they've been told a different story.

They just think the XFC has been using Nick as a publicity stunt.

- Man, this is such bullshit. - Of course it is.

You beat legitimate guys: Maze, Butler, you whipped them.

Okay, then why? Why can't I fight?

They're just afraid that if these rumors go public

and you get hurt during a fight, then their credibility is shot,

not to mention lawsuits up the ass.

What can we do?

Well, you can petition the board, ask for a hearing.

Stand up for yourself.

Gentlemen, welcome to our XFC board.

Please, have a seat.

We, uh... we have sworn testimony

from Nick's last three opponents that those fights were legit.

Nick won them fair and square

no matter what you might have heard. Here.

What incentive would these fighters

have to say anything differently?

It would ruin their reputations.

Wait, so you think they're lying?

Mr. Newell, wait your turn, please.

No, I'm not gonna wait my turn.

You guys are messing with my career.

You're taking away my livelihood.

I am the one that has to live with

the consequences of your decisions, not you.

I want to be heard.

Go ahead, Mr. Newell.

Hi.

Nick, I, um...

Hi gentlemen, I'm Stacey Newell, Nick's mother.

Nice to meet you, Mrs. Newell.

Ms. Newell.

Sorry, Ms. Please continue.

Robert M. Hensel once said

that we the ones who are challenged

need to be heard, to be seen.

Not as a disability, but as a person who has and will continue to grow.

To be seen not as a handicap, but as a well intact human being.

Ma'am, I'm not sure we understand what you mean.

It means that if he had two good hands

would we be even having this hearing?

The first priority is the safety of our fighters.

I appreciate that, I do.

And no one is more concerned about Nick's health than I am.

I must admit, there's a small part of me

that wants you to deny him his license,

but that is a mother speaking.

And I forget that he is no longer a little boy

struggling with a disability, but a man who has overcome it.

Nick has the right to live the life he wants to live

and to have the career he wants to pursue.

Especially since he's proven that he can handle it.

We appreciate your input and it will be noted. Thank you, Ms. Newell.

Excuse me... you might be surprised how many supporters Nick has.

And how much press a one-armed fighter could get

if he's being denied his dreams and told that he can't fight anymore.

I'm sure that there are countless news outlets, social media, TV, newspapers,

that would really love to hear this story.

Let's not make threats now.

I'm not making threats, I'm making promises.

Thank you, Ms. Newell,

we will take this under advisement.

Let's go. Let's go.

Hey, Vito, how are you doing?

Alex.

It's good to see you, it's been a while.

- Good to see you, too. - Yeah, can we talk?

Chris, could you give us a moment?

Thanks, man. It's about Nick Newell.

I figured that.

You need to know that this kid's the real deal.

Every fighter that he's taken on has been legit, and he has not lost.

I don't know if he's gonna.

Alright? He won't let you down,

I'm not sure he's gonna disappoint anybody ever.

Look, I just... I need you to do me this favor, that's all.

I've never asked you for anything, you know that.

- Ever. - Alex, I appreciate it.

I really do. Let me see what I can do.

Alright.

- Hey, Alex? - Yeah?

Do me a favor,

have your people keep a lid on this

until we sort things out.

I'll see what I can do.

Okay. You guys good?

Yeah.

Okay.

Alright, what are they...

- Still haven't called. - No? Okay.

That's okay.

They get busy you know, it's...

- They're gonna call. What time is it? - Yeah.

It's a little after 2:00.

Nick.

Pick it up.

Hello?

Yeah, yeah, this is him.

I understand.

And that's your final decision?

Okay.

Alright, yeah. Okay. You too.

Well?

I'm gonna fight.

Oh, you got me.

You got me.

- Oh, my gosh. - We've got to get to work right away, hm?

- Yeah. - Look familiar?

Go say something.

Excuse me.

You're Notorious Nick Newell!

Yeah, so I've been told.

What's your name?

I'm Eli.

Eli. Well, nice to meet you, Eli.

Nice to meet you, too.

Look, Eli...

I'm fighting for the championship.

- Wow. - Yeah, it's pretty cool, right?

- Wanna come to a fight? - Mom can I?

Yes.

Awesome.

You do any fighting yourself?

- Nah, I'm a baseball pitcher. - Okay, cool.

But I'm not a very good one.

Yeah? Why is that?

Is something wrong with your eyes?

Do you love baseball, Eli?

- Yeah. - Yeah?

Then stick with it.

You know, someone once told me that if you love something

you may have to work twice as hard

as everyone else, but it's worth it.

Don't you ever give up.

I believe in you.

Alright?

Alright.

It was nice to meet you guys.

I'll see you at the fight, okay.

- I'll see you there. - Alright.

Yeah! Up, up, up, up.

Pull, pull, pull.

Do you want it? You've got to take it, man.

You've got to take it.

Stay active.

Keep working, keep working.

Grind!

Yep, yep, yep. Yep.

Alright. Alright, alright, settle, settle.

No worries.

Just stay calm, breathe easy.

What's our transition? Our transition.

We need to transition into omoplata. Alright?

Yeah.

Okay, alright, let me show you.

Alright, come here.

Alright, so you've got him in a triangle.

- Yeah. - Huh, lock your arm back here.

Alright, so if you can't finish the triangle past your left leg,

over his head like this. Sit up in omoplata.

- Huh? Now he's done. - Just crank right there?

Yup, right here. You got it?

Questions, comments, concerns?

No.

Your turn.

- Okay, there's triangle. - Yup, triangle.

- So when he goes to defend it... - Uh-huh.

Trap the arm.

Yes, that's it.

Yep, you got it, great job.

You got it. That's good. Nice job.

Elbow, hook, elbow, hook.

Elbow, hook. Elbow, hook.

Alright. Okay, that's it.

Alright, take a seat.

Alright, listen to me.

You need to have patience tonight.

Believe in the game plan.

Don't blow all your energy

in one big adrenaline dump.

Trust that you did all you could do

to get ready for this fight. Huh?

And I want you to know, that no matter what happens tonight,

I couldn't be prouder of you.

Questions, comments, concerns?

Thank you, Coach.

Thank you for everything.

Whoo! Yeah, yeah, yeah! I'm the champ!

I'm the champ, it's my time!

Let's go! Whoo! Yeah! Hell, yeah!

I fear no man.

No beast or evil.

It's time, Nick.

It's a big night at the XFC arena,

as Nick Newell facing off against Rich Reynolds

for the lightweight championship belt.

Yeah, this should be a great one.

Newell is talented, but Reynolds is an animal.

He might be a little bit too polished and experienced though for Newell.

Well, we'll see, it's a championship match that means five rounds.

Yeah, and Newell is a big underdog in this one.

Most experts think that he won't even make it out of that first round.

Hey, it's time.

Mom, Mom, there he is!

Tape.

Cup. Mouthpiece. Extra mouthpiece.

You understand the rules?

Have a good fight.

Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the XFC World Championship Event.

And now the moment you have all been waiting for.

With a professional record of eight wins, no losses,

the Notorious Nick Newell.

And from the other corner,

the XFC's Lightweight Champion of the World,

with an undefeated record of 16-0,

it's Rich "It's a Wrap" Reynolds.

- You ready? - Yeah.

Have a good fight.

You ready?

Have a good fight.

Okay, guys, let's have a good clean fight.

Tap gloves, and go back to your corners.

Let me show you what a real fighter's about, chump.

Hey.

Oh, no love loss between these two.

The crowd is really looking forward to this fight.

I just hope Newell can hang in there long enough

to give them their money's worth.

Remember, patience, Nick.

Stay clear of his right hand. Wear him out!

You ready?

You ready?

Fight.

Wow, Newell in trouble almost immediately.

One clean blow from Reynolds, and this could be the end.

Don't panic! Remember what we practiced!

Break it up, break it up. Break it up.

Nick. Nick, Nick.

Play our game, don't play his game.

You've got to stay out of his reach

until he throws a punch,

then go in and hit him with a combo.

Alright? If he takes you down again,

stay off your back!

You're exerting too much energy.

Newell looks spent after just one round.

Yeah, the champ is putting on tremendous pressure on Newell.

I'd be surprised to see the end of round two.

Ooh, a hard right to Reynolds' head.

Another right to the champ's head!

The champ is down!

Take him down!

Get off the ground, Richie!

Come on, Nick!

It's over now, Reynolds has him in his patented leg lock.

Newell is gonna have to tap here or he is in for some serious damage.

Get out of it, Nick, get out of it!

You can do it, Nick!

He's going to roll, Rich!

Come on, come on, come on. Hang tight, Nick, come on.

The round's almost over. Come on, hang on!

Fifteen seconds!

You got him. You got him, just hold on.

Newell is limping badly, he's got 60 seconds to recover.

Not sure that's gonna be enough time.

How's the leg, son?

I'm good to go.

Does that hurt?

No.

Alright. Good luck.

I didn't come this far to lose.

Just tell me if you can't go on.

- I can win this. - I believe you.

Nick, Nick, Nick, Nick...

Hear that? They believe you, too.

Well, we know who the crowd is rooting for.

Yeah, Newell had a hard time getting sanctioned for this fight,

but he's shown today that he is a true warrior, no one can deny that.

Yeah, no doubt, but I'm not sure how much longer this can go on for.

Wrestle, Nick, wrestle!

Wrestle, goddammit!

My God, Newell has Reynolds in a rear naked choke!

That came out of nowhere!

Come on, Nick, you can do it!

Hold on. Hold on!

You've got him, Nick!

Come on, come on, choke him out, Nick, come on!

He may have this, Reynolds can't break the hold.

He's done, you're done.

That's it! The fight is over!

Yeah!

Ah!

Yeah!

Oh! Whoo!

This is unbelievable!

Newell won, he actually won the fight!

You've just witnessed one of the greatest upsets in sports history!

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God! Oh, my...

That's my son! That's my boy!

Yes, yes, yes!

Unbelievable! There are no words to describe this!

Mom, can I go?

You did it! You did it! Yes! Whoo!

We did it. You did it, it's yours. It's yours.

Ladies and gentlemen,

your new XFC champion,

Notorious Nick Newell.

Abi, we did it.

I don't think my story is any more special than anyone else.

You know, um, the truth is,

you know, I am a one-handed guy and I had these problems,

and I had these obstacles, and I overcame them

to become something and make something out of myself.

His just... his internal drive.

He wanted to be the best,

he wanted to be... He wanted to improve.

He fell in love with the sport.

Uh, I can remember when he called me and said,

"Oh, I started training MMA,"

and I was like "What the... What are you doing?"

It all actually happened. It's not like he made it up.

You know, and if anybody thinks it's fake,

they can come to Connecticut and come to his gym

and look on the wall and see the belt.

It is main event time.

"Notorious" Nick Newell versus "It's a Wrap" Eric Reynolds.

We are set for five rounds. The championship at 155 pounds.

Southpaw start, as always, for Notorious Nick Newell.

He starts off with some solid leg kicks, Pat.

Newell said he worked a lot on his kicks for this fight.

He'll try to muscle his way

and get Eric Reynolds onto his back.

There's a high left round kick from Nick Newell.

Overhand right from Newell and Reynolds fires back

with a right hand of his own.

High left round kick from Newell.

Newell tries to catch the kicking leg.

He's trying to lock onto his arm there.

He's got it locked, let's see what he does with it.

Come on, Nick!

Oh, suplex!

Oh, it's a back suplex there from Nick Newell.

This is where Nick Newell is so good.

There's the arm under the chin now.

The hooks are in for Notorious Nick Newell.

Is he on his way to a world championship?

This is where it's an advantage

because he can't get hand control

on that shorter arm.

He's pulling down on the gloved hand,

but that's already trapped.

Reynolds in trouble!

- Reynolds taps out! - That's it, that's it!

It's goodnight, Irene!

The fairy tale comes true!

Winner blue, tap out, by rear naked choke.

Nick Newell is the XFC champion!

A standing ovation here in Nashville!

Nice fight, brother.

That kid is happy.

Nashville has gone into meltdown!

Nick Newell has gone into ecstasy!