Peter New has simple plan for CFFC 128 title shot against Luke Fernandez: 'Violence'

With a new team and a new focus, 'The Butcher' plans on a major upset in Atlantic City.

It's been 11 months since Peter New stepped in a cage for a mixed martial arts contest, but the 36-year-old Gracie Barra black belt wants to make it clear that he never lost focus of his passion.

"I made a transition out to Los Angeles, so that's a process," New said. "Anyone who's moved to L.A. probably understands that it is not like any other city, so trying to find the place to train, the place to to fight out of, the people to train with, it was a bit of a process. Now I've got it all ironed out, though, and I'm excited."

Originally from Georgia, New began taking amateur fights almost a decade ago, but a career in private security kept him from pursuing a full-time fighting path. It was that same career that dictated a move to Los Angeles – with a few other side perks, as well.

"There's a lot of people who pay for private security out here," New said. "It's a very wealthy area of the world, so that's what brought me out here – and the weather, of course. 

"The traffic is definitely a con, but the California girls, there's a reason they wish they all could be California girls, as the Beach Boys once said."

Upon his relocation, New began working with Romulo Barral black belt Edwin Najimi. Once he decided it was time to start booking fights again, New sought out the help of the legendary Saekson Academy, as well.

“There's a history of fighters coming out of there like Alan Jouban, and that's a high, high-level school, and it's really about finding the right training partners, guys my size and bigger who can push me, and I found that and more," New said. "It's LA. There's guys around every corner, but we've got a good group there. It's very team-oriented. We all prepare each other for the fights. 

"We just had a couple of heavyweights fight two or three weeks ago. They both got knockout victories, so I consider my victory to be theirs, as well, just like any good team."

New (4-2) now gets his chance at glory when he takes on the highly-touted and undefeated Luke Fernandez (2-0) in the co-main event of CFFC 128, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS on Friday, December 15 from New Jersey's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.

New is prepared for a capable opponent but believes his own preparation will have him ready for the challenge.

"I definitely break down film but don't put a lot of weight into it," New said. "I think he's still young and developing, so I think his game will probably change. He's got power, obviously. His right hand is packing a lot behind that, so definitely watch out. You know, just training for his particular strengths. 

"The difference about this training camp for this fight coming up is I've had more chances to go, like, full sparring, hard sparring, than throughout my entire career. Knowing that with Luke that he's going to bring power, I think I've prepared well and coaches have me ready to go for that."

New believes that approach could really prove to be the key at CFFC 128. With more than a decade spent focused on grappling in both the gym and real-world applications, he feels confident in those skills, but with a new focus on his striking prowess, as well, New believes he may be ready to head to Fernandez's backyard and play spoiler.

"I've been working with strikers, high-level kickboxers, and it's just become much, much more normal for me," New said. "I started out 13 years ago now with jiu-jitsu, and I was always oriented towards self-defense and combatives. My day job has been teaching combatives in a weapons-based environment, so it's a lot of grappling, getting the tools, which is not an MMA fight because it's a duel where I'm trying to beat my opponent with a certain set of rules – no weapons you have to worry about. 

"My natural default is to go into the grappling, get to an advantageous position, get to weapons access, that sort of thing, so the striking element has always been kind of secondary. I focused much more on that and worked on the nuances of body position. Angling. Level change for striking, for MMA in particular, instead of just defaulting and reverting back to grappling. So yeah, significant shift in focus, and I think that'll bear out."

With a victory, New is in a different position than most CFFC title challengers. While the vast majority who find themselves in that role are focused on steadily developing a career that grows at the sport's highest level, New realizes he's not going to be deemed as a longterm play by anyone making serious evaluations.

However, that doesn't mean that he can't still impress, and New says he knows exactly what fans are looking for when he steps in the cage because he's seeking the exact same thing.

"I've always just wanted to compete at the highest level I can, so wherever it goes after this, I know it's a business," New said. "It's much more than it was 15 years ago. You know, the UFC is looking for young talent. I'm 36, I have no illusions about them trying to develop me into a career prospect, but it's always been more than that for me. 

"It's not about the paycheck. I have a full-time job. That's not why I do it. It's more about challenging myself against somebody who wants to throw down and wants violence just like I do."