One-handed fighter Nick Newell came up short in his opportunity to earn a UFC contract when he lost on Dana White’s Contender Series 14. All signs point to that being his one and only chance.

Newell (14-2) suffered a bloody beatdown from Alex Munoz (5-0) in their lightweight fight on the prospect-driven show in July. The outcome was a unanimous-decision loss, and although devastated, Newell said he wasn’t about to give up on his dream to compete under the UFC banner.

“Notorious” will apparently continue to pursue his MMA career with the hopes of eventually landing on the UFC roster, but it may be all for naught. From all indications, UFC President Dana White has seen everything he needs too to know it’s not meant to be.

“I respect that kid very much,” White told reporters, including MMAjunkie, following Tuesday’s Dana White Contender Series season finale. “Obviously that’s why I gave him an opportunity. I always believed that the UFC was a tough place for Nick. This a tough place with two arms and two legs. This is the real deal. I put him in the Contender Series to see if he could make it to the UFC. He didn’t make it.”

White’s rather blunt assessment of the situation isn’t enough to deter Newell, though. The 32-year-old caught wind of the comments made by the UFC boss, and it appears to have only provided more motivation to prove White and any other naysayers wrong (via Twitter):

Newell’s defeat to Munhoz was just the second of his 16-fight MMA career. He lost convincingly but said he hopes to rebound before the end of the year. The UFC may not want him at the moment, but Newell believes he could also be an attraction under the Bellator banner (via Twitter):

For complete coverage of Dana White’s Contender Series 14, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

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