Jai Herbert vs Kyle Nelson: Two fighters with similar paths set to go head to head

Black Country’s very own, Jai Herbert, will make his 2nd UFC London appearance of the year this coming weekend as he takes on Canada’s, Kyle Nelson. “The Black Country Banger” was involved in a war back in March against Georgia’s, Ilia Topuira, finding himself on the wrong side of defeat.

Since moving from Cage Warriors, vacating his Lightweight strap and following a star-studded path from those before him, Herbert has been consistently matched up with killers from the beginning of his UFC tenure. In his first Octagon outing, he was matched up with Francisco Trinaldo, a veteran with double the amount of pro fights. Just under a year later, the 34-year-old took on the always game, Renato Moicano. A quick turnaround after his loss to Moicano saw him pick up his first win in the promotion, against Khama Worthy. The quality of opponent he has faced cannot be understated.

And this also rings true on July 23rd when Jai takes on Kyle Nelson. The owner of Muskoka Martial Arts Academy, Nelson, has been spending a lot of his training camp at the Kru Alin HOC. “The Monster” has undergone a similar fate to his opponent, Herbert, as his first UFC win also came in his third fight with the promotion.

Nelson’s first UFC fight came four years ago against the recently ranked, Diego Ferreira. His most recent loss came against fan favourite, Billy Quarantillo. In his most recent win against Polo Reyes, he scored an impressive standing KO over “El Toro” and utilised his grappling acumen. Just like Herbert, Nelson has not said no to any fight he’s been offered, making a match-up between the two almost guaranteed to be fireworks.

How I Expect The Fight To Play Out

For “The Black Country Banger” it is key that he keeps the fight away from the cage. He will do his best work in this fight in the centre of the Octagon where he can create his own space and set up his crisp hands with combinations and counter shots. A lot of Kyle Nelson’s best work comes when he is putting on forward pressure, pushing his opponent back against the cage and letting rip to the body and head. Despite his short stint back to 145, Nelson packs a lot of power in his shots for a 155er, and that’s something I expect Jai to be wary of.

Nelson is sometimes flamboyant with his shots and looks for a big power punch quite often. For Jai, staying light on his feet and being ready for that big shot to come, he may be able to find success with some counter shots as Nelson comes in with big actions. Moicano set out a perfect blueprint against Herbert in their bout, utilising his advantage in the grappling department, something Nelson may try to do in this bout.

The two lightweights match-up extremely evenly in this bout, and that’s a credit to the matchmakers for putting this one together. There is no doubt that this fight has the potential to be a Fight of the Night contender, as both men will refuse to take a step back, much to the fans’ delight.