After we talked for a half hour about his unique, burgeoning mixed-martial-arts career – which includes a coincidental introduction to "The Ultimate Fighter" and a partially developed left arm – Nick Newell sent me a series of text messages.

I had called him, in part, because of his unique physical status. From birth, Newell had a left arm that stopped past the elbow because of a condition called congenital amputation. But he adapted, became a high school and collegiate wrestler, and is now an undefeated MMA professional.

But the balance for Newell has always been training for MMA success while also working to find fights because many potential opponents don't like the idea of fighting him.

Wherever he has gone, Newell has inspired a reaction. But there's only one reaction in which he's interested: Respect for a winner.

"All the people who say, 'Oh he can get hurt' are right; I can get hurt, but so can everybody else who does MMA," Newell told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I'm a smart guy with a college degree. I wouldn't put myself in a situation that I knew I couldn't handle.

"I'm not just going to be a good fighter for someone with one hand. I'm not shooting for mediocrity or to prove that people with handicaps can do things because that's already been proven. I compete to (be) one of the best in the world."

Newell is looking for his next opportunity after starting his career 3-0 as a 155-pounder. The 24-year-old resident of Monroe, Conn., was also 2-1 as an amateur with a belt, and his five-fight winning streak has included bouts lasting less than 10 minutes combined.

And he's done it the way he has lived his life: By overcoming his disability and finding ways to work around it.

"He's got a lot of heart, and he's also just a very good fighter," said Jeremy Libiszewski, who has trained Newell for about three years at Fighting Arts Academy. "And he keeps getting better."

Not allowed to quit

When Newell got home from his first high school wrestling practice, he told his mother he wanted to quit.

They lived in Milford, Conn., and Newell's mother had given birth to him young, worked her way through school and became a nurse. She didn't like hearing the talk about an early stop.

"The first practice was just about the hardest thing I had done in my life," Newell said. "But she told me I wasn't allowed to quit. I can't imagine what would've happened if she had let me."

Instead, Newell became a strong wrestler at 130 pounds by his senior season, hit a growth spurt, and became a 157-pound competitor at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass.

Then he found MMA. A college roommate was a big professional wrestling fan (and has since joined the WWE as Curt Hawkins), and he would flip on "Monday Night Raw" on Spike TV. Then they would leave the channel running into "The Ultimate Fighter," the UFC's long-running reality series.

"I thought, 'I'd really like to learn how to do this,'" Newell said.

Soon, Newell was at Fighting Arts Academy.

"They didn't treat me any differently," Newell said, "and that's what I wanted."

After training for three years, Newell took his first amateur fight in April 2008. A man who started a series called the National Amateur Fight League in Massachusetts came to Newell's gym and watched him train. He offered him a fight on the spot.

His amateur debut, which still frustrates him, ended in a loss. But the passion created by the defeat has led to five consecutive wins, including his final two amateur fights and his three pro fights.

But his professional career path, while unblemished, hasn't been easy.

Finding competition

Abi Mestre was a wrestler at American International College in Massachusetts while Newell was at Western New England, so he watched him at several tournaments before he knew him personally.

"He would beat guys, and they would walk off the mat and just smash stuff," said Mestre, who is now one of Newell's MMA training partners. "I'm not sure they thought they would've lost, maybe because of his arm."

Throughout his wrestling and MMA career, Newell has learned to use his disability as a strength – striking hard with his left elbow and tightening his hand lock because he's reaching for a shorter arm – but he can't control what other fighters do, or what fights they take.

"He should've had at least three more fights by now, but people back out on him or just won't take the fight," Libiszewski said. "I had a manager call me and say, 'I don't want my guy losing to the guy who has one arm.'"

Newell made his pro debut in June 2009 at a Cage Fighting Xtreme show and has followed with wins at International Combat Entertainment and Triumph Promotions events. His first two fights occurred in Massachusetts, which didn't have a commission overseeing MMA at the time.

His third fight was in New Hampshire, which meant he had to gain a license from the New Hampshire Boxing and Wrestling Commission.

"It gave us some pause, and we wanted to make sure we weren't discriminating against him," said John Hagopian, a deputy commissioner of the New Hampshire commission. "Our feeling was as long as he met the requirements and he had an insurer willing to cover him like any other fighter, we wanted him to be able to fight."

Newell doesn't anticipate licensing problems in the future because he feels he has proven he can compete. He also hopes his disability doesn't continue to cause issues finding opponents.

In the meantime, he'll continue to train in hopes of keeping his perfect record.

"I want to keep challenging myself and hopefully step up in competition," Newell said. "I just want to keep growing."