Fighters Only

Issue 057

November 2010

In the summer of 1998 Carlos Newton fought Kazushi Sakuraba in front of an awestruck crowd at Pride 3. Both fighters were

relatively young and this was early in their careers, but they put on a grappling clinic that those who have seen have never forgotten. With super-smooth transitions and gasp-inducing reversals, the pair showed all the creative flair that they would be known for throughout their careers.

It’s not surprising that Carlos is a creative and dynamic grappler. Having grown up learning judo, karate, and jiu-jitsu, and having a healthy fascination for all things Asian, he counts as his inspiration the Book of Five Rings, the Hagakure, and the Dragonball Z comic books. That makes for a real-life, comic-book samurai warrior ninja. With dreadlocks.

Carlos started training martial arts as a youngster, competing as an amateur in his early teens. “They were jiu-jitsu, judo, and karate competitions. There were differences in rules and organizations though. For instance, when I did jiu-jitsu competitions it wasn’t strictly grappling; there [were] a lot of self-defense demonstrations and point sparring, like full-contact sparring. [This] evolved into more MMA-type sparring.”

It also evolved into a professional career in MMA, which started at the tender age of 19. Carlos made lightening-fast progress, losing his first local fight due to sheer exhaustion, and then beating Erik Paulson, the now-legendary submission grappling coach, by armbar at Vale Tudo Japan 1997 in only his second fight.

Carlos fought in the UFC when there were still one-night tournaments. It seems like such a long time ago, but Carlos is only 33 today. At the age of 22, he submitted Bob Gilstrap in less than a minute in the middleweight tournament at UFC 17. A rock-steady Dan Henderson awaited him in the finals that same night. Carlos lost an epic slugfest by decision. He spent the next three years fighting mostly in Japan.

Carlos returned to the UFC and stole Pat Miletich’s welterweight title in impressive fashion, squeezing the Croatian Sensation’s neck so hard his head nearly popped off his body. Carlos’ reign at the top was short-lived though, as he came up against a fearsome Matt Hughes, then firmly in his prime. Despite manhandling the formidable future champion in the first round of their fight, he would suffer a loss by one of the most controversial finishes in MMA history. Carlos had locked on a triangle choke; Hughes countered by lifting Carlos up for the slam, but Newton got stuck high on the cage. Hughes dropped, both fighters hit the ground and they rolled away from each other, incapacitated. Hughes was the first to wake up, and was awarded the victory.

In a spectacular return to form, ‘The Ronin’ submitted Brazilian vale tudo legend Jose Landi-Jons by armbar at Pride 19. Hughes proved to be Newton’s nemesis though, pinning him in his now-trademark crucifix and raining down blows in their rematch at UFC 38, but Newton rebounded when he fought one of his idols, Renzo Gracie, at the inaugural Pride Bushido. “For me, fighting Renzo was pretty cool because it was a real coming of age kind of fight. One day we always knew we’d fight each other. We used to joke about it like, ‘Hey, one day Renzo, it’ll be me and you!’ We had breakfast together and had the fight the next day.”

Carlos didn’t come from a famous camp or a stable of successful fighters. He was fighting out of Toronto, Canada, and would fight anywhere he could. This earned him the nickname ‘The Ronin’, a word from feudal Japan evoking images of lonely warriors and masterless samurai.

Newton would have a chance to mentor some fighters of his own, coaching the Toronto Dragons in the team-based International Fight League in 2006. Despite being former UFC welterweight champion and a top-ranked contender for many years, the really high-profile fights seemed to elude him. “Maybe because I’m not one to jump up and say, ‘Yeah, fight me, I’m the baddest mofo out here’. I’m not going to play that game.” Instead, the Ronin sees himself as an ambassador for the sport. “I’m in it for the sport. I’m going to do what’s best to bring this sport to international acclaim and bring it to every household. You’re always going to need the guy who’s going to be able to explain it to people and bring it home and make people see it for what it really is.”

Newton’s desire to see the sport recognized for what it truly is comes as no surprise when you realize he is an intelligent, educated fighter. In fact, he has long been pursuing a medical career, and during some of his most successful periods Carlos was devoting as much time to his studies as to his training.

After a first-round KO win in March this year, this young veteran is on the comeback trail. And as one who has felt the weight of UFC gold around his waist once in the past, ‘The Ronin’ will certainly be wandering towards that goal again.

Career Snapshot

1996

First professional fight at the age of 19 against 280lb Jean Riviere.

1998

Competes in UFC 17 middleweight tournament, drops split decision to Dan Henderson in the final.

2001

Submits Pat Miletich at UFC 31 for the welterweight title.

2003

Beats Renzo Gracie by decision in Pride Bushido.

2006

Coaches IFL team the Toronto Dragons.

2009