Emanuel Newton, who goes by the name “The Hardcore Kid,” isn’t anything like what is commonly expected in professional sports. The typically soft-spoken athlete has remained relativity quiet during his rise to fame in Bellator’s circular cage. Most outlets that cover MMA have Newton ranked within their top 15 at light heavyweight, which doesn’t necessarily make him a superstar, but it’s still worth noting that a relative unknown has pushed his way to the forefront of his promotion during the last few years. Tonight, in the main event of Bellator 113, he’ll have the opportunity to capture gold, become one of the faces of Bellator MMA.
Since moving over to Bellator in 2012, Newton has put together a 5-1 record. (There are many who think he should be a perfect 6-0, as his first fight against Attila Vegh at Bellator 72 was ruled a split decision in favor of his opponent.) The most important moment of his career to date came in 2013, when he was able to upset Muhammed Lawal with the highlight reel spinning back fist that put “King Mo” to sleep, but it was his dominating win at Bellator 106 for the promotion’s Interim Light Heavyweight Championship that proved Newton was very far from being a fluke.
Outside of the cage, Newton is a part of the “hardcore” lifestyle that is very different from the culture shared by most African American males from Inglewood, California. His trademark victory dance is a shout out to the lifestyle, which has been the target of attacks from other fighters, such as “King Mo” before their second fight. Newton is consistently asked questions about being hardcore he speaks with sports media outlets, which only serves to highlight the stark contrast between him and his peers. However, Newton has taken on the mantle of being an ambassador for his culture, and a positive representation of his chosen lifestyle in the sport of mixed martial arts.
His pending rematch against the 28-year-old Vegh is a contest that is well worth the watch. Newton’s erratic striking style has been very tough to figure out, and he continues to look much more improved with each outing. Behind the scenes, the promotion has to be hoping that both Newton and Quinton Jackson win their next respective matchups, in order to set up a contest between its top marquee draw and its biggest homegrown talent at 205 pounds, which is one of the best potential fights that the organization can create at this time.
This weekend’s title unification bout could be the biggest moment of Emanuel Newton’s 11-year MMA career. A victory will give him the title of undisputed Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, and the opportunity for even bigger fights later in 2014. That is quite an improvement for a fighter who has been widely considered an underdog throughout most of his career.
Bellator 113
• Attila Vegh vs. Emanuel Newton (LHW Championship unification bout)
Click the stars to rate your anticipation for this fight.
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Bellator 113: Vegh vs. Newton II takes place on March 21, 2014 at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas.
Click the stars to rate how good you think Bellator 113 will be.
I despised it because of that terrible definition of a "downed" opponent. The torso should have to be grounded to be considered down.
Fight was great. Scoring it for Olivier is just wrong.
No stars available. Their best bet is to move Sonnen/Silva up a week. It's not a great headliner, but Sonnen can talk and it would actually make the event card fairly deep.