According to a Jan. 31 report from the New York Post, former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Abbott took to Twitter to show support for XFC star Nick Newell.
The common thread between the two is that they both overcame adversity to become top-notch professional athletes. Abbott was born without his right hand, and Newell was born without his left.
“Watching UFC...Help me understand, in a sport where the best man wins and rules seems limited, why wouldn't Nick Newell get a chance?” Abbott tweeted on Jan. 29 from his official Twitter feed.
Abbott, of course, was referring to the fact that UFC President Dana White refuses to give Newell a chance to fight in the UFC.
White thinks it’s hard enough fighting in the UFC with two arms, and he's not sure if Newell would even get licensed to fight in some states that the promotion comes to.
Last week, Newell shot back at White by tweeting a photo of his fight license from Nevada, which has the largest athletic commission in the United States. Many UFC events are held in Nevada, so Newell's tweet raised eyebrows among many in the MMA community.
"It kinda disappoints me that someone that's such a powerful figure in this sport feels that way or looks at me that way,” Newell said of White on MMAFighting.com’s “The MMA Hour” last week.
Newell, who is coming off a victory over Bellator veteran Eric Reynolds, appreciates the kind words from Abbott.
“Thank you so much for your support Jim. I've always looked up to you, so coming from you its extra special.”
Abbott pledges to do everything in his power to help Newell earn a spot in the UFC.
“Nothing can stop you!” Abbott tweeted. “Keep fighting, keep believing. We are all rooting for you.”
No word yet on when Newell fights again, but he sustained virtually no damage in his last fight.
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