(Exclusive): Carlos Newton reflects on submitting Pat Miletich to become UFC welterweight champion, credits 'nice piece of Aikido'
Carlos Newton recently reflected on his memorable submission win over Pat Miletich, which saw him become the first Canadian to win a UFC championship.
Before the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald burst on the scene, 'The Ronin' was one of the pioneers of Canadian MMA. During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, he reflected on dethroning the then-welterweight champion with a bulldog choke and credited the martial art of Aikido for being able to secure it. [20:42]
He said:
"I remember that fight, pulled off a nice piece of Aikido at the end of it. That [bulldog choke] was an example where Aikido I knew my opponent wanted something, had a certain intention and I just rowed that intention in for a choke...Slipped it in, and that was it. Game over." [20:42 - 21:01]
Carlos Newton also shared his thoughts on his submission win over Pat Miletich still being among some of the most memorable submission wins in UFC history. He mentioned that he, along with other Canadian MMA fighters like Gary Goodrige, who is known for his knockout win over Paul Herrera, had competed at the highest level, saying:
"We've [Canadian MMA fighters] come a long way. We may not have a lot of participants in the sport at a top level, but the ones who participate are top level." [21:22 - 21:33]
Carlos Newton ended Pat Miletich's two-year long welterweight title reign, but would lose his title to Matt Hughes at UFC 34.
Check out the full interview:
Carlos Newton opens up about the effectiveness of Aikido in MMA
Carlos Newton opened up about the effectiveness of Aikido in MMA and noted that it is surprisingly more effective than others may perceive it to be.
The martial art of Aikido has been one that has been showcased in action films, especially starring Steven Seagal, for decades. There has been an ongoing debate among the MMA community including Joe Rogan as to whether it would be effective against elite-level wrestling in an MMA fight.
During the aforementioned interview, 'The Ronin' mentioned that Aikido is very effective and some fighters may not even be aware that they are actually using it, saying:
"That level of timing, which is what Aikido is all about, is present in MMA...There are guys that execute their movements with such precise timing where there's a seamless transfer of energy, effortlessness, and a certain degree of...the opponent and action they're partaking in that it is deserving of the name Aikido, which means the name of the spirit." [17:14 - 17:46]
