If there was any doubt as to whether Nick Newell was ready for a step up in competition before Bellator 225, there are no longer.
The lightweight came into his contest with Corey Browning (4-2) on the heels of a quick submission at CES 56. Before that, he suffered a much more public loss to Alex Munoz on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. The latter bout cost him a shot in the UFC, but it did open the door for other promotions.
Of those other promotions, Bellator was the biggest name.