Dana White Says Nick Newell ‘Didn’t Make It’ In UFC Bid

Dana White intimated that Nick Newell came up short in his bid for a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 14. White spoke with reporters (per MMAjunkie) following the season finale of the series and said Newell’s loss to Alex Munoz was the end of his run for a shot in the company.

“I respect that kid very much,” White said. “Obviously that’s why I gave him an opportunity. I always believed that the UFC was a tough place for Nick. This a tough place with two arms and two legs. This is the real deal. I put him in the Contender Series to see if he could make it to the UFC. He didn’t make it.”

Newell responded to White’s comments on Twitter, as you can see below, in which he points out that many people lost in their initial attempts to get into the company but ended up very successful in the company:

Tons of people lost on TUF & bounced back great. Dillashaw, Pettis, Shogun, Lesnar & Condit all lost their UFC debuts & ended up winning titles. Theres wilder shit in this world then a one handed guy competing w/ elite in MMA. I will prove I belong.

— Nick Newell (@NotoriousNewell) August 8, 2018