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Newsheller learning the art of battle in a cage
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Thelma Grimes
Vail Sun
Taking fighting to a new extreme, Vail resident Peter Newsheller said after his collar bone heals he will get back into the ring to conquer the ins and outs of mixed martial arts.
Newsheller, 41, is now 1-1 in what is called cage fighting, losing his most recent match in the Rage in the Cage series hosted at Desert Diamond Casino.
Newsheller suffered a broken bone in the event where fighters have little protection and anything goes.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, including striking and grappling.
Modern MMA emerged in 1993 with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, based on the concept of pitting different fighting styles against each other in competition with minimal rules, in an unregulated combat situation.
In the late 1990s and early 2000, MMA competitions implemented additional rules for the safety of the athletes and to promote acceptance of the sport, while maintaining as much of the original no-holds-barred concept as possible.
Since then the sport continues to grow throughout the nation, and Newsheller is one of those hooked.
As opposed to regular boxing or martial arts, Newsheller said he wears a glove designed to protect the knuckles with very little padding and the fighting takes place in a cage with no escape.
In regular boxing, fighters whear gloves with 13 inches of padding.
Newsheller said he became interested about three years ago, and started seriously training just over a year ago.
"I've always been an athlete," he said. "I played a lot of sports in high school, but there is nothing there to make money or take me somewhere. With MMA, you have a great deal of competition and challenge."
Besides liking the sport, Newsheller admitted that it's also right up his alley.
"I have always been a fighter," he said. "I was born to fight. Since I was a child, I was always in some kind of fight. There is just a lust for battle."
Newsheller admitted he still has a lot to learn, reflecting on his recent match at Desert Diamond Casino in June.
Newsheller said he received the rules the night before the fight, and some of the excluded fighting techniques included thing he was not accustom to and that hurt him in the fight.
"I Lost by near naked choke," he said. "He broke my collar bone. I know getting hurt is always a possibility; it wouldn't be labeled a combat sport if you don't get hurt."
With the adrenaline from the fight, Newsheller didn't realize he was hurt until an hour after the fight.
With the injury, Newsheller said he will be out of commission for at least two months, but has a goal to make it to a Rage in the Cage fight in August.
To prepare, Newsheller said he is going to be training with the same man who broke his collarbone.
"I can't wait to get back out there," he said. "I love the energy of competition. Its fun - it takes me somewhere."
The history of the modern sport MMA can be traced to the Gracie family's martial arts tournaments in Brazil in the 1920s, and early mixed martial arts matches hosted by Antonio Inoki in Japan in the 1970s.
The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity in the United States in 1993, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie dominated the Ultimate Fighting Championship, sparking a revolution in the martial arts, while in Japan the continued interest in the sport resulted in 1997's creation of the PRIDE Fighting Championships.
In the meantime, Newsheller said he wants to start bringing more opportunities to Vail. With no health club in the area, he is looking to become a personal trainer.
To contact Newsheller for training, email him at peternewsheller@cox.net or call 520-404-8094.
Vail Sun
Taking fighting to a new extreme, Vail resident Peter Newsheller said after his collar bone heals he will get back into the ring to conquer the ins and outs of mixed martial arts.
Newsheller, 41, is now 1-1 in what is called cage fighting, losing his most recent match in the Rage in the Cage series hosted at Desert Diamond Casino.
Newsheller suffered a broken bone in the event where fighters have little protection and anything goes.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, including striking and grappling.
Modern MMA emerged in 1993 with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, based on the concept of pitting different fighting styles against each other in competition with minimal rules, in an unregulated combat situation.
In the late 1990s and early 2000, MMA competitions implemented additional rules for the safety of the athletes and to promote acceptance of the sport, while maintaining as much of the original no-holds-barred concept as possible.
Since then the sport continues to grow throughout the nation, and Newsheller is one of those hooked.
As opposed to regular boxing or martial arts, Newsheller said he wears a glove designed to protect the knuckles with very little padding and the fighting takes place in a cage with no escape.
In regular boxing, fighters whear gloves with 13 inches of padding.
Newsheller said he became interested about three years ago, and started seriously training just over a year ago.
"I've always been an athlete," he said. "I played a lot of sports in high school, but there is nothing there to make money or take me somewhere. With MMA, you have a great deal of competition and challenge."
Besides liking the sport, Newsheller admitted that it's also right up his alley.
"I have always been a fighter," he said. "I was born to fight. Since I was a child, I was always in some kind of fight. There is just a lust for battle."
Newsheller admitted he still has a lot to learn, reflecting on his recent match at Desert Diamond Casino in June.
Newsheller said he received the rules the night before the fight, and some of the excluded fighting techniques included thing he was not accustom to and that hurt him in the fight.
"I Lost by near naked choke," he said. "He broke my collar bone. I know getting hurt is always a possibility; it wouldn't be labeled a combat sport if you don't get hurt."
With the adrenaline from the fight, Newsheller didn't realize he was hurt until an hour after the fight.
With the injury, Newsheller said he will be out of commission for at least two months, but has a goal to make it to a Rage in the Cage fight in August.
To prepare, Newsheller said he is going to be training with the same man who broke his collarbone.
"I can't wait to get back out there," he said. "I love the energy of competition. Its fun - it takes me somewhere."
The history of the modern sport MMA can be traced to the Gracie family's martial arts tournaments in Brazil in the 1920s, and early mixed martial arts matches hosted by Antonio Inoki in Japan in the 1970s.
The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity in the United States in 1993, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie dominated the Ultimate Fighting Championship, sparking a revolution in the martial arts, while in Japan the continued interest in the sport resulted in 1997's creation of the PRIDE Fighting Championships.
In the meantime, Newsheller said he wants to start bringing more opportunities to Vail. With no health club in the area, he is looking to become a personal trainer.
To contact Newsheller for training, email him at peternewsheller@cox.net or call 520-404-8094.
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