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Producers Mark DiSalle and Howard Burd team up to bring fight fans in a biopic on the inspiring story of one-handed fighter Nick Newell.

Mark DiSalle and co-producer Howard Burd have announced their next project, Notorious Nick, a biopic based on the true story of recently retired fighter ‘Notorious’ Nick Newell, who rose to prominence for finding success as one-handed fighter.

DiSalle, most known for his early work with Jean-Claude Van Damme on movies like Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Perfect Weapon, and Burd most recently produced two films together including the sports drama 4 Minute Mile and the holiday comedy Mother’s Day.

“I’ve been involved in the martial arts world for more than 30 years,” said DiSalle in a press release. “There are a lot of tough competitors in the sport and as many great stories but Nick’s stood out because of how he turned his unique challenge into his secret weapon. He was lucky to have valuable mentors shaping that mindset even when he was still a child. His inspirational story needs to be shared with the world.”

The script for Notorious Nick was written by the box office writers who created JJ Abrams’ $72M smash hit 10 Cloverfield Lane.

As far as his fighting career goes, Newell (13-1), a former XFC champion and World Series of Fighting title challenger, surprised the MMA world by announcing his retirement following his unanimous decision win over Tom Marcellino at WSOF 24 last October. He left the cage with 10 career stoppage wins, including eight by way of submission. His only professional loss came at the hands of WSOF’s undefeated lightweight champ Just Gaethje in July 2014.

“I love to bring inspirational stories to the big screen, it’s why I got into this business,” stated Burd. “Nick’s story struck a chord with me from the beginning. His tenacity and determination were unbelievable for such a brutal sport. I can’t wait to share his story on the big screen with his fans.”

Newell’s story will be turned into a film by DiSalle and Burd who have decided to crowdfund through Indiegogo, a platform that has raised several million dollars for other notable independent films including Super Troopers 2 and the Amell brothers’ Code 8.

“We decided to crowdfund this project because gives Nick’s fans an opportunity to show their support for the project from the beginning and stay engaged throughout the filmmaking process,” said Burd.

The campaign, which launches on Sept. 20 and will run for 30 days, will feature of a number of incentives or “perks” ranging from $10-$50,000. Some of the features include on the set experiences and actual acting roles in the movie. The production team plans to use the Indiegogo campaign to keep “backers” updated on the progress of the filmmaking, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks and to ensure accountability of where the funds are being used.