# Kyle Nelson (fighter)

Kyle Nelson (born April 20, 1991) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC Featherweight division. He previously competed for the RXF promotion, as well as Elite 1 MMA. Nelson is a former featherweight champion in Elite 1 MMA.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Born and raised in Huntsville, Ontario Canada, Nelson began competing in mixed martial arts in 2011. He held a 2–1 amateur record and then competed in local North American professional promotions. During this time he won the Elite 1 MMA Featherweight Championship, and also fought for the Lightweight Championship in TXC MMA. He then signed with the RXF in Romania, Europe, and after with the UFC in 2018.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nelson made his promotional debut on December 8, 2018, on short notice against Carlos Diego Ferreira, replacing Jesse Ronson at UFC 231. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Returning to Featherweight Nelson next faced Matt Sayles on May 4, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 9. He lost the fight via submission via arm-triangle choke 3:16 into round 3.
Nelson fought next at UFC on ESPN+ 17 on September 21, 2019 against Marco Polo Reyes. He won the fight via TKO at 1:36 of round 1, earning him his first UFC victory.
Nelson was scheduled to face Sean Woodson in a catchweight bout of 150 pounds on June 27, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. However, Nelson was pulled form the event due to visa issue and he was replaced by Julian Erosa.
Nelson faced Billy Quarantillo on September 12, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Teixeira. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round.
Nelson faced Jai Herbert on July 23, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Nelson faced Choi Doo-ho on February 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 218. The fight ended via majority draw.
Nelson faced Blake Bilder on June 10, 2023, at UFC 289. He won the bout via unanimous decision.
Nelson faced Fernando Padilla on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Nelson faced Bill Algeo on March 30, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 54. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.
Nelson was scheduled to face Calvin Kattar on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242. However, Kattar withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Steve Garcia. At the weigh-ins, Nelson weighed in at 148.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to Garcia. Nelson lost the fight by technical knockout via elbows and punches in the first round.

## Championships and accomplishments

* Elite1 Mixed Martial Arts
** Featherweight Championship

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 23 matches | 16 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 3 |
| By submission | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 6 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 16–6–1 | Steve Garcia | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady | September 7, 2024 | 1 | 3:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (148.5 lb) bout; Nelson missed weight. |
| Win | 16–5–1 | Bill Algeo | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot | March 30, 2024 | 1 | 4:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 15–5–1 | Fernando Padilla | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 | September 16, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–5–1 | Blake Bilder | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 289 | June 10, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Draw | 13–5–1 | Choi Doo-ho | Draw (majority) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac | February 4, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Choi was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to a headbutt. |
| Loss | 13–5 | Jai Herbert | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall | July 23, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Lightweight bout. |
| Loss | 13–4 | Billy Quarantillo | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill | September 12, 2020 | 3 | 0:07 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 | Polo Reyes | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens | September 21, 2019 | 1 | 1:36 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Matt Sayles | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy | May 4, 2019 | 3 | 3:16 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Return to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 12–2 | Carlos Diego Ferreira | TKO (punches) | UFC 231 | December 8, 2018 | 2 | 1:23 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 12–1 | Morteza Rezaei | TKO (punches) | RXF 32 | November 19, 2018 | 1 | 4:57 | Brașov, Romania | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 11–1 | Khama Worthy | KO (punches) | BTC 1: Genesis | May 27, 2017 | 1 | 1:03 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 10–1 | Gabriel Mănucă | Submission (rear naked choke) | RXF 26 | April 25, 2017 | 1 | 3:50 | Brașov, Romania | Lightweight bout. |
| Win | 9–1 | Jonathan Brookins | Decision (split) | Fight Night 2 | October 28, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 8–1 | Zoltán Turi | Submission (rear naked choke) | RXF 23: Romania vs. United Kingdom | June 6, 2016 | 1 | 1:23 | Bucharest, Romania | |
| Win | 7–1 | Justin Bourgeois | TKO (Punches) | Elite 1 MMA | April 23, 2016 | 1 | 2:01 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Won the vacant Elite1 MMA Featherweight Championship. |
| Loss | 6–1 | Adrian Hadribeaj | Decision (unanimous) | TXC Legends 6 | September 12, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 | Novi, Michigan, United States | For the TXC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Ainsley Robinson | Submission (guillotine choke) | SCC 2 | May 30, 2014 | 1 | 0:42 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 5–0 | Alex Halkias | Decision (unanimous) | PFC 2 | March 8, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | London, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 4–0 | Neelan Hordatt | Decision (split) | ECC 11: Redemption | June 29, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 3–0 | Maxime Dubois | TKO (punches) | UGC 32: Moment de Vérité | May 10, 2013 | 2 | 1:36 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jo Petahtegoose | Submission (armbar) | Score Fighting Series 6 | September 19, 2012 | 1 | 2:54 | Sarnia, Ontario, Canada | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Michael Dufort | Decision (unanimous) | Ringside MMA 13 | March 17, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Lightweight debut. Fight of the Night. |