Emanuel Newton isn't shy about admitting it. After knocking out star Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal with a� spinning back fist in their early 2013 bout, he still felt he had something to prove, not just to fans but himself.
That's why, when he won a unanimous decision over Lawal in their rematch, later in the year, "The Hardcore Kid," felt validated.
"That's why I?m glad I won a decision in the rematch," Newton tells Cagewriter.
"Sure, it would have been good to knock him out again, but at the same time, I knew I had to prove something. Not just to the fans, but to myself. I wanted to prove that I could knock him out quick, or go all five rounds, and that either way I'm beating him."
The victories over Lawal were also doubtless extra sweet for Newton because of all of the trash talk from "King Mo." The Bellator light heavyweight champ says that the anger from Lawal barely registered with him, however.
"Honestly, I didn't pay attention to it," he says.
"There was maybe only one time, after we did a call together, where I got off the phone and thought to myself, 'man, Mo is a douche.' (laughs) But other than that, you learn to ignore the stupid stuff. Talk is talk, but once we get in the cage and they close the gate, it's just you, the ref and the other guy, and we're going to fight, no matter what was said."
This Friday, Newton defends his title against Joey Beltran. Beltran is a UFC veteran and tough as nails, but not exactly on a roll.
There's also no personal history or animosity to speak of between he and Newton. So, is it hard for the champ to get motivated for a fight like this?
After all, Newton's recent fights have all been grudge matches or chances at redemption (like his last fight, against Atilla Vegh, where he won a rematch of a 2012 bout he lost). Beltran has won only three out of his last eleven fights.
"No, man," Newton maintains when asked if it's been harder for him to get up for the fight with Beltran.
"Joey?s tough. Also, this camp has been completely and totally different. I realize that in the past I overtrained and burned myself out...now, I train smarter and just do what my body needs to do, not do things for the sake of doing them."
After years of fighting all over, Newton has finally established himself in the upper echelons of MMA. Simply put, the 30 year-old is on a roll. He hasn't lost a fight that he wouldn't go on to avenge since 2009, and has won five straight bouts.
At this point, one has to wonder how he'd do against the likes of UFC light heavyweights. Newton is confident in himself, though isn't concerned with reaching a particular place in the rankings.
"I?m just here to fight," he says.
"As far as the rankings go, people may not know me know but they'll come to know me if I keep on winning. I'll keep getting better. I was born and bred to fight. People can rank me where they want."
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
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