...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: C.J. Tuttle, MMATorch Contributor
I'm the second interview on a schedule of 50 and it's 12:30 pm, two days before what should be the biggest fight of 29 year old Emanuel Newton's (20-7-1) career. The bout is for a shot (another one, more on that later) at Bellator's Light Heavyweight Strap currently held by Attila Vegh, whom Newton previously lost to by a dreadful split-decision.
However, the truth is this is not even the biggest fight of Newton's four fight Bellator tenure. That one occurred at Bellator 90 where Newton threw the "spinning backfist heard round the world" on none other than Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. But even he couldn't have been prepared for his newfound media attention. This is all par for the course now, and a part of "God's plan" for Newton.
So when I opened our interview with the inevitable King Mo topic he chuckled and said "I'm not tired of the question. Definitely the biggest fight of my career, especially the fashion I beat him in. But I'm ready to get this next win. His ranking and how he was supposed to come in and wreak havoc on the light heavyweight class and make a huge impression had a lot to do with all that. But, I shut all that down."
That he did, and from there I started realizing how primed and focused he is on the man with whom he will share the cage with next, Mikhail Zayats. The Russian light heavyweight has compiled a 21-6 record and is currently riding a seven fight win streak.
When I brought up how his camp went, Newton cut me off and emphatically answered "Awesome. Before the Mo fight I was with Arnold Chon only two weeks, now I've had a whole month to prepare. It's a night and day difference to before. I feel faster, stronger and have a better understanding. Arnold Chon is the man, he's the best striking coach in MMA. The only pressure I really feel is to keep winning."
Newton also mentioned the guys he has trained with and how he feels he's involved in some of the best camps around.
"I train with the Shogun's, Mark Munoz's, Wanderlei's, Ellenberger's and none of those guys have ever whooped my ass," he commented.
The Emanuel Newton I spoke to today is "confident, not cocky" and is a God-fearing man who didn't feel he was ready for the belt when he previously fought Vegh.
"I want him again," Newton said. "I wasn't ready for the belt, I would have been doing the same old things, at the same old gym. Then I met Arnold. I wasn't ready mentally, physically, and then I would've had to fight Mo and would've lost. God is going to bless me with getting that belt and holding the belt properly now."
The loss of his parents before the age of 17 and having lived through a high speed motorcycle accident has helped to prepare Newton mentally for the challenges that lie ahead in the future. All this looks bad for "Pumukli," who would love to avoid a rematch between the two.
"I want to rectify that loss." Newton added.
With the release of the USA Today MMA rankings yesterday, both Zayats and Vegh were listed as "honorable mentions" rather than Newton. While he doesn't focus on rankings, or media, he did admit that it's motivation to see them listed over him.
"I know I'm ready, I've got to just go prove it," he said. "I'm not just a one trick pony."
"The Hardcore Kid" comes into the fight Thursday with only three of his 20 wins (15%) coming by way of knockout, but he wanted to clear up the idea that the King Mo punch was a fluke. He takes pride in finishing fights and agrees that the mentality of a fighter with something to prove contributes to the amount of knockouts Bellator has seen lately.
"I don't have a crystal ball or anything but I just know something spectacular is going to happen Thursday night."
While there is no long term plan for Emanuel Newton, he's using the cliché term of taking it "day by day" and "fight by fight" to get through the final bout on Thursday. These recent changes seem to be correlating with victories and his steady ascension through the Bellator tournament. Don't sleep on this guy, ladies and gentleman. Mo did, and look what happened to him.
Comments? Rants? c.j.tuttle@me.com @kidceej
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