Prospect in the Spotlight (Apr 18-19): Jordan Newman

Introduction

Friday, April 18th, American middleweight prospect Jordan Newman will be in action for PFL, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Khalid Murtazaliev. He will be looking for another win, as Newman looks to inch closer to a big PFL payday, even as the alternate. He represents Roufusport MMA, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Overall Ground Game: Possessing a background in wrestling from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Newman is one of the many amateur wrestlers who has made the move to MMA. His inclusion at Roufusport makes sense as it’s also in Wisconsin and it’s a renowned gym for fighters looking to improve their striking. On the mat, Newman is a terror. He has good, well-placed ground-and-pound that works in unison with his heavy top presence. He’s not one-dimension on the ground either, as he does possess a strong submission ability. He owns a submission win via Americana, as well as rear-naked choke, showing he’s rounded out his mat game to be a complete game.

Needs Impovement

Experience Against Higher-Level Fighters: While Newman has been impressive thus far as a pro, he’s really only fought one notable opponent in Imamshafi Aliev, whom Newman bested by decision. Aliev has a similar style to Newman, so it really turned out to be a match of who is the better wrestler with serviceable striking. Newman won that fight, showing he has the potential to keep moving up the ladder. He has to continue doing that with PFL, even if he’s just an alternate in their 2025 tournament right now.

Outlook

PFL Contender/Eventual UFC Top-30: As stated, Newman is an alternate in the tournament for PFL, so he will be waiting in the wings of the bracket for somebody to drop out. Either way, I think Newman will eventually contend for a PFL tournament or title, depending on what the company decides to do going forward. However, I think Newman should fight out of his contract and look to move to the UFC, as I think that’s where his future is best. He could have a real solid career there.