MMA phenom Nick Newell will look to keep his undefeated streak alive, when he enters the XFC cage again at XFC 17: Apocalypse in Jackson, TN at the Oman Arena on April 13th. “Notorious” Newell will take on Tennessee’s own, Chris Coggins, in the Featured Bout of the evening live on HDNet.
Newell captured the MMA community’s attention when he made his XFC debut last December. At XFC 15 ‘Tribute’ Newell honored his fallen friend Abi Mestre by defeating jiu jitsu ace Denis Hernandez in just over a minute. What is even more impressive is the way that Newell did it. He submitted Hernandez with a heel hook improving his record to 6-0, without a left fore-arm or hand. Born with a condition called congenital amputation, Newell’s left arm stops just past his elbow. His story, featured on HDNet, is a complete inspiration and the video of this latest win has over a million and a half views.
Standing in Newell’s way of 7-0 is Chris Coggins. The Team Wildside standout is riding high on a 3 fight win streak of his own. On 2 weeks notice, Coggins submitted Jay Meneghello in his backyard of Knoxville at XFC 16: High Stakes. Now he will be fighting in front of his fans in Jackson, but his one armed opponent Nick Newell will present another set of problems for the Tennessee native to figure out. “I know he has really good wrestling and is a very skilled fighter,” said Coggins. “I’m not concerned with his handicap. I think it actually can work to his advantage in certain situations. He’s a very good fighter and I know he’s dangerous, but I plan on showing everyone that I’m for real. A win at ‘Apocalypse’ would be huge for my career and I hope to continue fighting on television and pick up an XFC contract.”
The upcoming fight with Newell is the biggest of his career, but Coggins insists it’s just another fight.
“Nick Newell is just another guy I have to fight,” said Coggins. “I plan on getting the knockout and getting another win. I know he has a lot of hype around him, but I’m going to show the world what I can do and I plan on leaving with the win.”
“Nick Newell vs. Chris Coggins is going to be a fun fight,” exclaimed XFC President John Prisco. “Newell really emerged as one of our stars last year with what he did at ‘Tribute’. The fans and media really embraced him and his story and his last fight has almost a million and a half views on Youtube. That’s incredible! Nick is a dynamic fighter and he is a terrific young man, it will be interesting to see how he handles a little adversity. As a fan I couldn’t boo Nick Newell, but in Jackson, TN Chris Coggins is going to have a lot of fans and supporters. Coggins competed for the XFC last month and looked very impressive in his fight with Meneghello in Knoxville. Meneghello is a tough guy, but Coggins went toe to toe with him and submitted him in the second round. I was impressed with his performance and when I called him to ask about his interest in fighting Nick, he had no hesitation. I expect Coggins & Newell to bring it in Jackson and it will be a great fight for the fans.”
XFC 17: Apocalypse takes place at the Oman Arena in Jackson, TN on April 13th and will air live on HDNet. Tickets are on sale now through Official XFC & Ticketmaster. To learn more about the XFC please visit www.officialxfc.com, “Like” them on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/officialxfc )and “Follow” the promotion on Twitter (@officialxfc) .
