Emanuel Newton (born February 1, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

division, where he is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. He has also competed for WEC,

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mains ...

International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.

, and MFC. He is also a former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Background

Newton was born in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, and grew up in

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...

. Growing up, Newton had an interest in swimming, surfing, and lifeguarding. Newton's father had done some

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterise ...

training, but died when Newton was 10 years old. Newton wrestled and played football, as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

at North High School (Torrance, California). Then, six years later, Newton's mother died and Newton lost interest in his schoolwork. His poor grades did not allow him to continue playing football, but he had improved enough by the start of the

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

season to continue in that sport. After high school, he went to Cerritos College, but began training with former UFC fighter Paul Herrera, who has also trained former

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Tito Ortiz.Fight Path: Shark Fights 17's Emanuel Newton survived 140-mph bike accident
by Kyle Nagel (MMAjunkie.com) on July 14, 2011

Mixed martial arts career

Early career: World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage

Newton started his MMA career in 2003. Despite having lost his first two bouts against

Brian Ebersole Brian Keith Ebersole (born November 27, 1980) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's Welterweight division, and holds a record of 5-3 with the organization. In addition to the UFC, Ebersole has competed in Shooto, ...

and Tim McKenzie respectively, he has fought for WEC once on August 20, 2004, against André Mussi, getting then his first victory via unanimous decision after three rounds. Newton also fought for

KOTC King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

, obtaining a draw against the UFC veteran Hector Ramirez and a victory over the WEC veteran Richard Montoya. After his win over Jeff Quinlan in IFL, Newton celebrated by buying a motorcycle. Unfortunately, Newton was involved in a crash while driving at 152 miles per hour on a highway in California. He was hit by a car and fell onto the pavement at an estimated 140 mph. He had never broken any bones before but had broken his arm from this accident. He had to have five surgeries on his arm, and developed a staph infection. The infection was so bad that he was in danger of having the arm amputated. Fortunately, the infection died down but Newton received a space between two of the bones in his arm.

Maximum Fighting Championship title and Shark Fights

With a record of 10–3–1, Newton signed with MFC. Newton faced former UFC fighter David Heath on his debut for the title shot of the Light Heavyweight division. He won via submission in the second round. Newton faced Roger Hollett for the title on December 5, 2008, at MFC 19. He won via unanimous decision and became the new MFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Newton faced Trevor Prangley on May 15, 2009, at MFC 21. He lost his title via unanimous decision. Newton also faced Ryan Jimmo, Dwayne Lewis, and Rodney Wallace on MFC. He lost his bout against Jimmo and won his last two bouts for MFC. Newton was expected to face Ryan Jimmo again on April 8, 2011, at MFC 29 for the Light Heavyweight Championship. However, he was replaced by Zak Cummings due to injury. On his two bouts for Shark Fights, he defeated Ilir Latifi and Ricky Shivers. In late 2011 he defeated UFC and

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

veteran James McSweeney for Superior Cage Combat and closing a sequence of five consecutive victories, he signed with Bellator.

Bellator MMA

Newton made his debut on June 22, 2012, at

Bellator 71 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

against Roy Boughton in the quarterfinal match of Bellator 2012 Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament. He won via submission in the second round and advanced to the semifinals. On July 20, 2012, at Bellator 72 in the semifinals of the tournament he faced

Attila Végh Attila Végh (born August 9, 1985) is a Slovak mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight divisions of Bellator Fighting Championships and Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He won the Bellator 2012 Summer Series Light Heavyweigh ...

. He lost via split decision. Newton faced Atanas Djambazov on January 17, 2013, at

Bellator 85 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

in the quarterfinal match of Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament. He won via submission in the second round and advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Newton defeated former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wr ...

on February 21, 2013, at Bellator 90 via KO due to a spinning back fist. In the finals at Bellator 94, Newton faced Mikhail Zayats and won via unanimous decision. He was expected to face

Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

on November 2, 2013, at Bellator 106. However, due to Vegh getting injured, Newton instead had a rematch against

for the Bellator Interim Light Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight via unanimous decision to become the Interim Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion. Newton faced current

at Bellator 113 for a title unification bout on March 21, 2014. He won the fight via split decision to become the current unified

. Newton made his first title defense against Joey Beltran on September 12, 2014, at Bellator 124. He won the fight in the third round due to a spinning back fist, the second time he has landed in his Bellator career. Newton next faced Linton Vassell on October 24, 2014, at Bellator 130. He successfully defended his title, winning via rear naked choke submission in the fifth round. For the third defense of his title, Newton faced

Liam McGeary Liam McGeary (born 4 October 1982) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division. He is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. Mixed martial arts career Early career McG ...

on February 27, 2015, in the main event at Bellator 134. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision, during the course of the fight, Newton was nearly submitted in the first and third rounds with two triangle chokes, even being rocked at one point in the fourth round. Days after the fight, it was revealed that Newton had tested positive for

Marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...

and was subsequently issued a three-month suspension by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations. Newton was a participant in Bellator's one-night Light Heavyweight tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015. He faced Phil Davis in the opening round and lost via submission. Newton had a rematch with Linton Vassell on February 19, 2016, at Bellator 149. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On October 5, 2016, Newton was released from Bellator.

Post-Bellator

Newton faced UFC veteran Nikita Krylov on October 13, 2017, at Fight Nights Global 77. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

(One time; former) ***Two successful title defenses ** Interim Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) ** Bellator Season Eight Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner **Tied (with Phil Davis and

) for most bouts in Bellator Light Heavyweight division (12) * Maximum Fighting Championship ** MFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) *Gladiator Challenge **GC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 26–13–1 , Nikita Krylov , KO (knee) , Fight Nights Global 77: Krylov vs. Newton , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

Surgut Surgut ( rus, Сургу́т, p=sʊrˈgut; Khanty: Сәрханӆ, ''Sərhanł'') is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the Ob River near its junction with the Irtysh River. It is one of the few cities in Russia to be ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–12–1 , Artur Astakhov , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights Global 61: Aleksakhin vs. Enomoto , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–11–1 , Evgeny Erokhin , Decision (unanimous) , League S-70: Plotforma 7th , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Sochi, Krasnodar, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 26–10–1 , Matt Baker , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Fight Night 2: Medicine Hat , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:04 , Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–10–1 , Linton Vassell , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 149 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–9–1 , Phil Davis , Submission (kimura) , Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:39 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–8–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 134 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–7–1 , Linton Vassell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 130 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 0:47 , Mulvane, Kansas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–7–1 , Joey Beltran , KO (spinning back fist) , Bellator 124 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:07 , Plymouth Township, Michigan, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–7–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 113 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Mulvane, Kansas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 106 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7–1 , Mikhail Zayats , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 94 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7–1 ,

, KO (spinning back fist) , Bellator 90 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7–1 , Atanas Djambazov , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:21 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 72 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6–1 , Roy Boughton , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:49 , Chester, West Virginia, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6–1 , James McSweeney , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Superior Cage Combat 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:25 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6–1 , Ricky Shivers , Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6–1 , Ilir Latifi , Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6–1 , Rodney Wallace , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

MFC 28 ''MFC 28: Supremacy'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on February 25, 2011 at the River Cree Casino in Enoch, Alberta. Background Antonio McKee was originally scheduled to defend his lightweight ti ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6–1 , Dwayne Lewis , Decision (unanimous) ,

MFC 25 ''MFC 25: Vindication'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on May 7, 2010 at the Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The event aired live on HDNet. The main event featured Thales Leites taking on J ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6–1 , Ryan Jimmo , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 23 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5–1 , Raphael Davis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Called Out MMA 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, i ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4–1 , Trevor Prangley , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 21 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3–1 , Roger Hollett , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 19: Long Time Coming , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3–1 , David Heath , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 18: Famous , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:42 , Enoch, Alberta,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 10–3–1 , B.J. Lacy , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PureCombat 5: Hard Core , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:46 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3–1 , Jeff Quinlan , Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) , IFL: Chicago , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 , Chicago, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–1 , Marcos Rodriguez , Submission (armbar) , COF 6: It's On! , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:43 , Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3–1 , Arthur César Jacintho , Decision , GC 59: St. Paddywack , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Sacramento, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3–1 ,

Kyacey Uscola ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Franklin'' for the final episode of the season) is the eleventh installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced rea ...

, TKO (punches) , GC 51: Madness at the Memorial , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:50 , Sacramento, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3–1 , Richard Montoya , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: Heavy Hitters , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Coarsegold, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3–1 , John Lansing , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Outlaws , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

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, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–3–1 , Hector Ramirez , Draw , KOTC 58: Prime Time , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–3 , Nate Ducharme , Decision , GC 36: Proving Grounds , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–3 , Mike van Arsdale , Submission (kimura) , MMA Mexico: Day 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 , Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Bryan Pardoe , Decision (unanimous) , Venom: First Strike , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , André Mussi , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Tim McKenzie , Decision (unanimous) , Rage on the River , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Redding, California Redding is the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California and the county seat of Shasta County. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, north of Sacramento, and south of California's northern border ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , CFM: Ultimate Fighting Mexico , , align=center, 4 , align=center, N/A ,

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, Mexico ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Emanuel 1984 births African-American Christians African-American mixed martial artists American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Sportspeople from Inglewood, California People from Torrance, California Bellator MMA champions 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people