Kyle Nelson will be dropping back down to featherweight.
After Nelson lost by third-round KO to Billy Quarantillo, he said he would be moving up to lightweight for good. He then took on Jai Herbert at 155lbs but lost a decision. With that, he will now be returning to 145lbs at UFC Vegas 68 to face Doo Ho Choi.
“Just the UFC. They called me up and asked if I wanted to fight and asked for it to be at 155. They said no,” Nelson said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I think Doo Ho has fought at 155 before, he has been off for a little bit. So I thought we would meet there. They said if I wanted to do 155, I’d have to wait and they didn’t know how long. So, I didn’t want to wait any longer, I’ve sat on the sidelines a lot so far in my UFC career, so I’d like to get back in there and keep the ball rolling.”
Although he is dropping back down to featherweight, Nelson says he was given plenty of notice, so the weight cut is not a concern. As well, he’s eager to make the drop given he gets to face a fan-favorite in Choi.
“I was really excited. I know he’s going to come forward and throw some punches,” Nelson said. “It’s going to be an exciting fight no matter what… I don’t think Choi is going to wrestle, even if I do hit him I think he will try and come forward and get it back. I think that will lean into my style, especially with the power I’m bringing to 145, and I think we will be seeing Choi go to sleep.”
Not only is Kyle Nelson confident he will be able to KO Doo Ho Choi at UFC Vegas 68, he believes he will put on a show before getting the KO. The Canadian thinks he’s better everywhere which will lead to the KO.
“He is a very clean and technical kickboxer, but I think my striking is also technical. I haven’t been in the Octagon with a better striker yet,” Nelson said. “Even with some of the issues I ran into at 145, technique-wise, I thought I can stand with anyone in there. I don’t get hit a lot, I hit hard, and I’ve got knees, elbows, kicks, punches. I’ve got the full spectrum of things while Choi has really good boxing, kickboxing is okay, knees and elbow are okay, and wrestling and jiu-jitsu he’s more defensive with that stuff. I think I’ve got him beat pretty much everywhere; I just have to be cautious of his boxing.”
Should Nelson get the stoppage win, he hopes it leads to an active 2023 and make up for lost time.
“Hopefully it puts me right into another fight. I’ve heard the UFC is coming to Canada three times this year, so I’d love to do all three,” Nelson said.
Do you think Kyle Nelson will KO Doo Ho Choi at UFC Vegas 68?
