Carlos Newton's career has been akin to a roller coaster ride, filled with ups and downs. But thankfully for all MMA fans, the ride is not projected to end anytime soon.
It had been nearly 13 years since Carlos (The Ronin) Newton was afforded the opportunity to fight in front of a hometown crowd. The last time he did that was April 26, 1996 when he made is MMA debut. But on March 28 in Gatineau, Que., he defeated Nabil (The Thrill) Khatib in the main event of W1: Inception. For The Ronin, it was a surreal experience.
"It was great. I must say I had a lot more butterflies for this event than I had in past events," Newton said. "I've been in events where there are 60,000 people and just been, 'Hey guys, what are we doing after this?' Whereas in this one, I was just pretty quiet."
Newton's travels across the globe have afforded him a wealth of MMA experience, one of which is the ability to seize the moment. With an abundance of emotion steering him in different directions, he had to make a conscious effort to bring himself back to reality in this bout.
"In this one, I had years of experience behind me. Basically, I was able to calm myself down saying, 'Look at the long road behind you and this is just a continuation of that road. You are walking it just fine, you're pretty comfortable so just go do your thing and relax.'"
Having fought in Japan 13 times, Newton has had the pleasure of competing in front of an educated crowd, one which understands and appreciates the intricacies of an MMA bout. Little did he realize how things have changed in Canada.
"The fans out in Ottawa were great. Probably one of the greatest crowds I've ever been in front of. They are a very knowledgeable fan base; they really know what's going on and don't boo for nothing."
To see and hear the Ottawa faithful clap and cheer during transitions and submission attempts made Newton more than happy to put on a show in the main event.
"I was kind of used to that type of environment when you are in a place like Japan. To see Canadian fans acting that way was really awesome. It made me really proud and eager to show my stuff."
Nearly 3,000 fans attended the event at the Robert Guertin Arena, just across the border from Ottawa, with barely any of them jeering the fighters. Instead, you could hear the fans chanting "arm bar," "knee," and "sweep him," while also letting the referees know if they made a mistake. Newton sees this as a plus for the sport in Canada, which still has yet to see sanctioning for the sport in Ontario, the province he calls "home."
"Now you have fans (saying), 'Well the ref made a mistake.' They can validate their opinion. For me that's pretty awesome. I hope to see that type of understanding overflow into the political arena where these guys are starting to look at MMA as a very safe and a viable sport."
Newton's return to action was a tentative one. The first few minutes of his bout vs. Khatib had Newton showcasing his patience, waiting for the right time to pounce. He was simply cruising at a steady pace.
"The first couple of minutes were symbolic of that. Me just letting it out slowly, finding my (rhythm). I did come off quite a long break and at the same time, to have all of these new tools in your toolbox, you just don't start swinging them full force."
Approximately two minutes into the bout, Newton had his back to the fence and was exchanging with Khatib. He was not necessarily in any trouble, but instead, realized everything was going to be okay. He let out a deep breath and it was evident it was time for him to pick up the pace.
"I'm very impressed you noticed that breath. For me, that breath is what said it all … I remember telling Terry, after the fight, when I came off the fence I realized everything was okay. My body felt great, and I knew it was time to turn it on."
Under the tutelage of longtime trainer and manager, Terry Riggs, Newton's layoff from the MMA circle was spent taking care of various personal commitments, but also building what is now looking to be a Version 2.0 of The Ronin.
"I don't really like to say too much about what's new about my game, but, one of the biggest aspects people are going to notice is my ability to control the fight … a continuous campaign to defeat the opponent rather than these bolts of lightning out of nowhere."
Perhaps gone are the days of the magical submissions but not that of the man who must cut 70 pounds to make weight in the welterweight division. Rumours of Newton's weight being over 235 pounds before the fight may not have been overly exaggerated. When asked what his weight was at the beginning of his training camp, he did little to dispel any mistruths.
"I have to say 240 pounds to all of that," Newton said with a laughs. "I walk around at what's comfortable for me … at the end of the day, I just work hard to get down in weight and lean out."
Now that he is comfortably back fighting, the new "Carlos Newton" has an obvious goal in mind.
"Ultimately I want to fight for the (UFC) title again … I am very pleased to be back at 170 pounds, very excited and very happy about it. There was a time where it kind of was always in the back of my head thinking, 'You know what, I can never fight at 170 again; I'll just be too weak after cutting weight.' But we got things all figured out now."
Newton has been around a long time and has seen a plethora of fighters come and go. He understands that it is once again his turn to start climbing the ladder.
"I do have a long list of fighters out there that I'd love to fight, guys that I've seen come up through the ranks. Everyone from Karo Parisyan all the way up to our current champion (Georges St. Pierre). It's going to be a lot of fun going forward from here."
On that epic day in April '96, Newton went from making his MMA debut to becoming Canada's first UFC champion. At UFC 31, he defeated Pat Miletich via bulldog choke to become the welterweight champion of the world. Since then, his career has been akin to a roller coaster ride, filled with ups and downs. But thankfully for all MMA fans, the ride is not projected to end anytime soon.
Welcome back The Ronin -- the road back to the UFC has begun.
