‘I’ve come a really long way’: Milford’s Newell impressive in capturing Bellator debut

was only a matter of time before Browning tapped, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

“I don’t do anything but this,” Newell said. “I’m a family man, and I work toward my goal of being the best fighter in the world. And whether or not I become the best fighter in the world, we won’t know unless I try my hardest. If you quit, it’s never going to happen.”

Newell had been on a one-fight deal with Bellator, but said afterward that he’d like to continue fighting for the promotion, and it’s likely he’ll get the opportunity.

“One thing I’ve learned in my life is you can never judge a book by its cover,” Newell said.

Kharitonov KOs Mitrione

On a night where every fight ended within the distance, Sergei Kharitonov knocked out Matt Mitrione in the second round of their heavyweight main event to get one step closer to a title shot.

Kharitonov had success in an odd first round that i ncluded Mitrione’s mouthpiece coming out three times. In the second, Mitrione again lost his mouthpiece and Kharitonov connected with an uppercut that landed flush on Mitrione’s face. Mitrione went down, and Kharitonov finished the job with hammer punches.

The fight was a rematch of their first meeting in February, when an accidental groin kick by Mitrione ended the fight in a no-contest. Kharitonov is now 2-0 under the Bellator banner.

Disonell shocks Kimbel

In a fight he appeared to be dominating, Waterbury’s Mike Kimbel was stopped late in the first round by Chris Disonell in their 140-pound catchweight bout.

Kimbel and Disonell (4-3) traded for most of the round, but it was Kimbel landing the harder shots. On multiple occasions, he appeared to be close to stopping Disonell, but the fighter from Albany, N.Y., continued to press the action. Late in the round, he scored a takedown that clearly hurt Kimbel and started to pound away on t he ground.

Kimbel (3-2) was unable to defend himself, and though the round was almost over, referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight at 4:54.

“I knew I was going into a war zone,” Disonell said. “But I was prepared for that. My team got me prepared for that. My family got me prepared for that. Mentally you’ve got to be strong, and that’s exactly what I did. I was brought in to be the lamb, but they got a lion.”

It’s a major setback for Kimbel. Bellator president Scott Coker told The Courant last week that the plan was for Kimbel — one of Bellator’s best prospects — to fight for a world title next year.

Jonah Dylan can be reached at j dylan@courant.com.