In May 2001 he defeated Pat Miletich to win the UFC Welterweight Championship in a fight that was voted to the Top 20 of the greatest submissions in UFC history. Carlos Newton lost the UFC Welterweight Championship in his next fight to Matt Hughes. He lost to Matt Hughes in a rematch in July 2002. His last fight was a loss to Brian Ebersole in July 2010 to bring his professional MMA record to 16-14.