Exclusive | Kyle Nelson Confident He Can KO Jai Herbert In Enemy Territory At UFC London

Kyle Nelson, UFC LondonKyle Nelson has predicted a finish against Jai Herbert in their upcoming bout at UFC London. Nelson, who’s traditionally competed at featherweight in the UFC, will make the move up to lightweight when he takes on Herbert. He’ll mark his return to action after a two-year hiatus, coming off a hard loss to Billy Quarantillo […]

Kyle Nelson, UFC London

Kyle Nelson has predicted a finish against Jai Herbert in their upcoming bout at UFC London.

Nelson, who’s traditionally competed at featherweight in the UFC, will make the move up to lightweight when he takes on Herbert. He’ll mark his return to action after a two-year hiatus, coming off a hard loss to Billy Quarantillo at UFC Fight Night 177 in Sep. 2020. After making an unsuccessful promotional debut on short notice, Nelson has gone 1-3 in his last four with a sole coming over Marco Polo Reyes.

On the other hand, Herbert shares the same record for his last four outings, with the single victory against Khama Worthy before his latest outing, where he also suffered a devastating knockout loss to Ilia Topuria.

Kyle Nelson predicts a knockout over Jai Herbert at UFC London

In an exclusive interview with LowKick MMA, Kyle Nelson talked about his fight with Herbert this Saturday and shared a bold prediction.

“Yeah, we’ve seen Jai get knocked out by other guys, even Ilia Topuria, kind of a smaller guy,” Nelson said. “When he faces a guy with my kind of power, which I don’t think he has yet, yeah he’s going to be going to sleep pretty quick.”

Considering how close both fighters’ records are, it appears to be an evenly split contest although “The Monster” has only suffered two losses by KO or TKO whereas Herbert has three.

Nelson isn’t worried about stepping into enemy territory

When asked whether it would have an impact mentally on his performance, Nelson answered to the contrary recalling similar experiences he’s had in the past.

“No, not at all,” he added. “I’ve fought in Mexico before, and again obviously Mexico has a huge fight culture. I was fighting the hometown guy there, and I finished him early. I won the crowd over and that’s what I plan to do in London.”

UFC London is set to go down on July 23 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (6/13-6/18): Nurmagomedov, Fili, Battle Booked

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring fights for AKA product Abubakar Nurmagomedov, TUF winner Bryan Battle, featherweight veteran Andre Fili, City Kickboxing’s Tyson Pedro, and lightweight prospect Nasrat Haqparast. With UFC cards being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill…

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (6/13-6/18): Nurmagomedov, Fili, Battle Booked at MMA News.

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring fights for AKA product Abubakar Nurmagomedov, TUF winner Bryan Battle, featherweight veteran Andre Fili, City Kickboxing’s Tyson Pedro, and lightweight prospect Nasrat Haqparast.

With UFC cards being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

In recent days, a number of huge fights were reported, confirmed or made official by the UFC and reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

If you’ve had your fix of big announcements since last Monday, scroll down and check out this week’s matchmaking bulletin, featuring a number of bouts that may have flown under your radar between June 13 and June 18.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Phil Rowe – UFC Long Island (July 16)

Abubakar Nurmagomedov will be looking to finally make his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC Long Island, where he’s been matched up with Phil Rowe.

Nurmagomedov (15-3-1), the younger cousin of MMA great Khabib, bounced back from an unsuccessful promotional debut last time out with a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gooden at UFC 260. But since the March 2021 event, the Dagestani has been absent from the cage.

The 32-year-old was initially booked to face rising welterweight Daniel Rodriguez last July, but he was forced out due to injury. Now a year on, Nurmagomedov will look to pick up from where he left off when he faces Rowe (9-3) on July 16 in New York.

“The Fresh Prince” has gone 2-1 in the Octagon since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. After a debut loss to Gabe Green, Rowe brought himself to a positive record with victories over Orion Cosce and Jason Witt. He’ll look to make it three in a row(e) at UFC Long Island by adding the well-renowned Nurmagomedov name to his résumé.

This addition to the July 16 card was reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.

Jai Herbert vs. Kyle Nelson – UFC London (July 23)

Lightweight Jai Herbert will be joining the likes of Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann, Paul Craig, and Muhammad Mokaev as returning Brits on July 23. But while those names will be looking to record their second London victories of the year, “The Black Country Banger” will be targeting his first.

In March, Herbert (11-4) came close to a memorable upset victory over the unbeaten Ilia Topuria. But when the Georgian survived a first round in which he was dropped by a vicious head kick, he came out with violence on his mind, sleeping the Englishman early in the second.

While he’s faced tough competition since arriving in the Octagon, with his other two defeats coming against Renato Moicano and Francisco Trinaldo, falling to a 1-4 record next time out will be hard to bounce back from.

The man hoping to send Herbert to that promotional slate at UFC London will be Kyle Nelson (13-4). The Canadian hasn’t been in action since a knockout loss to Billy Quarantillo in September 2020. Having fallen to a 1-3 record of his own under the UFC banner, “The Monster” will be returning to lightweight on July 23 for the first time since a debut loss to Carlos Diego Ferreira.

Nelson confirmed this bout through his official Twitter account.

Bryan Battle vs. Takashi Sato – UFC Vegas 59 (August 6)

The latest test for TUF winner Bryan Battle will see him drop to welterweight to face five-fight UFC veteran Takashi Sato at UFC Vegas 59.

After defeating Gilbert Urbina last August to be crowned The Ultimate Fighter 29 middleweight victor, Battle (7-1) made a successful sophomore appearance in the Octagon in February this year, earning a unanimous decision win against fellow cast member Tresean Gore.

But despite his early success at middleweight, where all of his professional appearances have come, the 27-year-old is set to make his 170-pound debut on August 6. Looking to make it an unsuccessful arrival for “Pooh Bear” will be Sato (16-5).

The Japanese welterweight will enter his contest with Battle on the back off a two-fight skid, having fallen to defeat against Miguel Baeza in 2020 and versus the returning Gunnar Nelson at UFC London earlier this year.

While Battle will be looking to announce his arrival in a new division, former Pancrase title challenger Sato will be hoping to avoid an often fatal three-fight UFC skid.

This matchup was first reported by MMA Fighting.

Misha Cirkunov vs. Shamil Gamzatov – UFC Vegas 59 (August 6)

After an 0-2 run at middleweight, UFC veteran Misha Cirkunov is set to return to light heavyweight next time out, where he’ll hope to find form at the expense of Shamil Gamzatov.

Since wins over Ion Cu?elaba and Nikita Krylov helped him get off to a perfect 4-0 start in the Octagon, Cirkunov (15-8) has struggled. In eight fights since, the Latvian has gone 2-6, including setbacks against former champion Glover Teixeira, Volkan Oezdemir, and Johnny Walker.

After a 2021 loss to Ryan Spann, Cirkunov unsuccessfully tested the 185-pound waters, falling to further misery at the hands of Krzysztof Jotko and Wellington Turman. If he’s to avoid a four-fight skid, the 35-year-old will need to become only the second man to defeat Gamzatov (14-1).

The Dagestani entered a UFC 267 contest with Micha? Oleksiejczuk on the back off a two-year layoff, but with an unblemished 14-0 record in-tow. But after leaving Abu Dhabi with his first loss, which came via first-round TKO, Gamzatov will be looking to return to the kind of form that had him so highly touted upon his arrival in the UFC.

This August 6 bout was first reported by MMA Fight Universe.

Malcolm Gordon vs. Allan Nascimento – UFC San Diego (August 13)

The August 13 UFC Fight Night, set to go down in San Diego, will have some Canadian presence in the form of Malcolm “X” Gordon.

Gordon (14-5) had a tough start in the UFC, losing his debut outing to Amir Albazi, as well as his sophomore appearance versus Sumudaerji. But since a 44-second knockout loss to “The Tibetan Eagle,” Gordon has found form, winning consecutive fights against Francisco Figueiredo and Denys Bondar.

The former TKO Flyweight Champion will look to add a third straight win and perhaps a 12th career finish to his résumé when he shares the Octagon with the in-form Allan Nascimento (19-6).

“Pure Osso” had a tough debut assignment in the form of Tagir Ulanbekov. After falling on the wrong side of a split decision against the Russian, Nascimento found his way to the win column last month by spoiling the debut of the previously-undefeated Jake Hadley.

The 30-year-old will look to build a run of form when he meets Malcolm “X” this summer in a matchup that was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker – UFC 278 (August 20)

With the main event contest between welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman and challenger Leon Edwards confirmed, the UFC 278 card is beginning to take shape. The latest matchup to be added to the August 20 pay-per-view features light heavyweights Tyson Pedro and Harry Hunsucker.

Pedro (8-3) returned in style in April following more than three years on the sidelines. After showing early potential with wins against Khalil Rountree Jr. and Paul Craig, consecutive setbacks to Ovince Saint Preux and Mauricio Rua stalled his progress, the latter of whom Pedro lost to following a serious knee injury that left him requiring knee reconstruction.

After a difficult layoff, the Australian reminded the 205-pound roster of his presence this year when he viciously knocked Ike Villanueva out at UFC Vegas 52. If he’s to make it back-to-back in August, Pedro will have to go through Hunsucker (7-5).

After consecutive defeats to Tai Tuivasa and Justin Tafa at heavyweight, “The Hurricane” will look to save his place on the UFC roster with a venture to light heavyweight, where yet another Aussie will be awaiting him.

This Utah-bound matchup was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Nasrat Haqparast vs. John Makdessi – UFC Paris (September 3)

The UFC’s first visit to France is edging closer, and with it, a number of names are having their seats on the plane to Paris booked. The latest addition sees Afghan-born German Nasrat Haqparast meet Canadian veteran John Makdessi.

Haqparast (13-4) has shown glimpses of his potential in the Octagon, earning victories over the likes of Marc Diakiese, Alex Munoz, and Rafa Garcia. But after back-to-back losses to ranked contender Dan Hooker and 2022 main-eventer Bobby Green, the 26-year-old finds himself in need of a rebound performance next time out.

The man looking to send him on a three-fight skid instead will be Makdessi (18-7). “The Bull” has fought once a year since 2017, with his latest performance coming last April. Having edged a decision win against Ignacio Bahamondes in a memorable three-round war, the 37-year-old will look to deliver a similarly impressive performance when he makes the trip across the Atlantic on September 3.

This re-arranged bout, which was slated for February earlier this year, was first reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.

Andre Fili vs. Lando Vannata – UFC Fight Night (September 17)

An exciting featherweight matchup will go down on September 17 as UFC veterans Andre Fili and Lando Vannata collide.

“Touchy” Fili (21-9) has been a mainstay in the Octagon at 145 pounds since making his promotional debut in 2013. The 31-year-old has shared the cage with some of the best during his time on MMA’s biggest stage, including Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and Calvin Kattar.

Having exchanged wins and losses throughout his UFC tenure, Fili finds himself in his trickiest position to date, winless in his last three. After a decision defeat to Bryce Mitchell and an unfortunate no contest against Daniel Pineda, the Washington native was given a short night at UFC Vegas 53 in April, with Joanderson Brito stopping him via TKO in just 41 seconds.

Vannata had a similar night at the office a week earlier when he met Charles Jourdain. A first-round submission loss to the Canadian meant that “Groovy” had failed to continue the momentum from his victory over Mike Grundy last May.

Now, having exchanged wins and losses across his last six outings, Vannata will be looking to build consistent form, starting against Fili on September 17.

This matchup was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti – UFC Fight Night (October 1)

Joining names like Vinc Pichel and Cheyanne Vlismas on the card, bantamweight Randy Costa is set to feature at the October 1 event, which is expected to be a UFC Fight Night.

Costa (6-3) is on a poor run of form, losing consecutive outings against Adrian Yanez and Tony Kelley, both via second-round TKOs. When he returns later this year, “The Zohan” will look to find his way back to the form that brought him a pair of first-round knockout wins against Boston Salmon and Journey Newson.

In his way of doing so will be veteran Guido Cannetti (9-6), who’s competed in the Octagon since 2014. The 42-year-old was 2-6 and riding a three-fight losing streak, including a defeat to Marlon Vera, heading into his last outing. Having likely saved his place in the promotion by stopping Kris Moutinho inside one round, the Argentine will look to make it back-to-back on October 1.

This matchup was first reported by ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi.

Who do you envision having their hands raised in these UFC matchups?

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (6/13-6/18): Nurmagomedov, Fili, Battle Booked at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria vs. Jai Herbert Set For UFC London

Ilia TopuriaIlia Topuria has been scheduled to make his lightweight debut when he takes on Jai Herbert at UFC London. First Reported by @Campos_Gon on Twitter. Topuria was scheduled in to face undefeated Movsar Evloev earlier this year, however, Evloev had to pull out of their scheduled matchup due to a positive COVID-19 test. Charles Jourdain […]

Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria has been scheduled to make his lightweight debut when he takes on Jai Herbert at UFC London.

First Reported by @Campos_Gon on Twitter.

Topuria was scheduled in to face undefeated Movsar Evloev earlier this year, however, Evloev had to pull out of their scheduled matchup due to a positive COVID-19 test. Charles Jourdain was called upon as a late replacement however that matchup also then was removed from the card due to weight cutting issues on Topuria’s side.

Topuria will be looking to continue rolling with the momentum following back-to-back stoppage victories over Damon Jackson and most recently Ryan Hall at UFC 264. Herbert will be looking to also to continue his winning ways, after starting slower than he would have liked in the promotion with losses to Francisco Trinaldo and Renato Moicano, ‘The Black Country Banger’ picked up his first victory inside the UFC with a first-round finish of Khama Worthy.

Herbert was originally set to take on Mike Davis at UFC London however after that fight fell through he has been tasked with welcoming the unbeaten ‘El Matador’ to the lightweight division.

Ilia Topuria Added To The UFC London Card

UFC London was already stacked from head to toe in top-tier talent. The addition of Jai Herbert Vs. Ilia Topuria is already a bonus. UFC London is set to be an amazing night for UK MMA fans, whilst this list won’t cover them all, this is just some of the action you can look forward to come March 19th.

The card sees the likes of Nathaniel Wood return to action when he takes on Liudvik Sholinian. Gunnar Nelson will also be returning for the first time since his loss to Gilbert Burns back in 2019. Arnold Allen faces his toughest test to date when he welcomes Dan Hooker back down to the featherweight division. Jack Shore looks to extend his unbeaten run to 16-0 when he faces Timur Valiev. Not to mention the main event which will see Tom Aspinall try to earn his biggest win to date when he takes on #6 ranked Heavyweight Alexander Volkov.

What fight are you looking forward to the most at UFC London?

EXCLUSIVE | Jai Herbert Slams ‘Disgusting’ UFC London Ticket Touts

Jai HerbertJai Herbert is fighting at UFC London but even he failed to get everyone he wanted at the March 19 show a ticket to watch him fight Mike Davis. ‘The Black Country Banger’ has fought three times in the UFC but they have all been behind closed doors and away from home. Herbert is excited […]

Jai Herbert

Jai Herbert is fighting at UFC London but even he failed to get everyone he wanted at the March 19 show a ticket to watch him fight Mike Davis.

‘The Black Country Banger’ has fought three times in the UFC but they have all been behind closed doors and away from home.

Herbert is excited to return to the UK for a fight in front of his home fans, although at this point he’d take any crowd.

“I’m excited,” Herbert said about fighting at UFC London during an interview with LowKickMMA. “The last three fights have been behind closed doors, so they’ve been a bit weird, man. I’m really excited to get back in there in front of the crowd and I feel like I really thrive in front of the crowd. I love it! I love fighting in front of a crowd and I thrive on the crowd’s reactions to everything.

“I fought in Belgium one time and the crowd was really against me,” Herbert added. “On the walkout, I had my opponents’ fans shouting abuse at me and everything but all that stuff it just gets me going, it inspires me to do better. If you’re supporting me or not supporting me, the atmosphere gets me going, man.

As is often the case with major sporting events in the UK, tickets sold out in double-quick time before they began to pop up on resale sites for extortionate prices.

Luckily, Herbert was able to get some tickets for his nearest and dearest but not everyone he wanted at the fight will be at UFC London. The 33-year-old thinks something needs to change to stop sporting events from being exploited by rip-off merchants.

“The UFC sent me a link to get some,” Herbert said. “I think I only had a couple of hours to secure some tickets for close family and friends. So, I managed to get some for my close family and friends, but I couldn’t get any for all my friends. It’s mad. I think it’s terrible all these bots or when people buy these people buy tickets and sell them for triple the price and that. I mean, it’s disgusting, man, something needs to change about that I think.”

Do you think Jai Herbert will get the win in front of his family, friends and fans at UFC London?

Jai Herbert Lands First UFC Win With Finish Of Khama Worthy – UFC Vegas 41 Highlights

Jai HerbertFormer Cage Warriors lightweight champion, Jai Herbert has scored his first victory under the UFC’s banner, stopping Khama Worthy with opening round strikes on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 41 tonight. Herbert, a former Cage Warriors lightweight standout, began his long-awaited Octagon tenure with a pair of knockout losses to Brazilian duo, Francisco Trinaldo […]

Jai Herbert

Former Cage Warriors lightweight champion, Jai Herbert has scored his first victory under the UFC’s banner, stopping Khama Worthy with opening round strikes on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 41 tonight.

Herbert, a former Cage Warriors lightweight standout, began his long-awaited Octagon tenure with a pair of knockout losses to Brazilian duo, Francisco Trinaldo and then Renato Moicano, before drawing Worthy at the UFC Apex facility tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jai Herbert snaps two-fight losing skid with first round TKO of Khama Worthy

Hurting Worthy with his long, rangy striking in the opening round, Herbert, smelling blood in the water, managed to successfully swarm on Worthy — dropping him following a lengthy combination, before following up and forcing the finish with subsequent ground strikes.

Check out the highlights from Herbert’s first round win over Worthy, below.

Renato Moicano Wants Top-15 Opponent next, Earmarks Islam Makhachev, Gregor Gillespie

MoicanoRenato Moicano is targeting a ranked opponent next. Moicano returned to the win column with an impressive and dominant victory over Jai Herbert at UFC Vegas 30 last night. Dominating the Briton on the ground, Moicano eventually sunk in the rear naked choke in the second round to get the tap and he was pleased […]

Moicano

Renato Moicano is targeting a ranked opponent next.

Moicano returned to the win column with an impressive and dominant victory over Jai Herbert at UFC Vegas 30 last night. Dominating the Briton on the ground, Moicano eventually sunk in the rear naked choke in the second round to get the tap and he was pleased to say the least.

“I felt like I had to go out strong and get a submission or a finish,” he said afterward (via MMA Junkie). “That was what I trained to do and that’s what I did, fortunately. … I was just so happy he tapped.

“I don’t even know how to explain it, what it’s like to win a fight. To me, it’s the best feeling in the world and I’m going to be feeling like this one week from now. I’m really happy.”

Now 2-1 at lightweight, the former featherweight contender wants to break into the top 15 at 155 pounds. He has two specific names in mind as well.

“My next fight will be against a top 15 (opponent), for sure,” Moicano added. “I keep asking the UFC for the best. I want the best names they can give me, and that’s what I’m looking for – guys like Islam Makhachev, (Gregor) Gillespie, all those guys.

“The best wrestler, the best striker – it’s even better for me. I want to fight the best.”

Whether he gets those names remains to be seen, but Moicano is definitely a fighter to be reckoned with at lightweight.

Who should Moicano fight next?