WSOF lightweight standout Nick Newell announced on Saturday that he is stepping away from active competition in MMA. Newell broke the news of his retirement after defeating Tom Marcellino via a unanimous decision at the WSOF 24 event in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Newell will end his career with a 13-1 record with the lone loss coming to current WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. Newell was born with a congenital amputation of his left arm but he did not let that stand in his way as he spent the majority of his life involved in wrestling and martial arts.

In 2009 Newell made his professional MMA debut for the Cage Fighting Extreme promotion based out of Massachusetts. He would go on to win the bout with a first round TKO. Four years later he would make his debut for the World Series of Fighting against Keon Caldwell at WSOF 4 in Ontario, California. Newell would win the fight with a first round submission and made an impression on the live crowd and the home audience watching on the NBC Sports Network. Below you can watch Newell’s emotional speech explaining his decision to retire.