Kyle Nelson got back into the win column last month, bringing home the Elite 1 MMA Featherweight Belt by defeating 33-year-old Justin Bourgeois and pushing his professional record to 7-1. The man they call The Monster isn’t sitting back on his laurels after the recent victory, however, as he’s already out looking for his next fight.
Exactly when and where Nelson’s next match will take place is still to be decided, although the spirited fighter hasn’t taken a break in his training schedule and will be ready to answer the bell as soon as a new opponent becomes available.
“This fight with Justin went extremely well, I don’t think I got hit at all,” recalls the Huntsville native. “There were no bruises or anything, I’m 100 per cent healthy and still in great shape, and I started training as soon as I got back. I want to try to get a fight as soon as possible. My manager is talking to some people in Romania and people down in Toronto, looking to pick up something as soon as possible and keep the ball rolling and keep building on this momentum.”
The momentum is certainly back on Nelson’s side after he dominated the more experienced Bourgeois just over two minutes into the first round, landing multiple punches and kicks right from from the opening bell. A knee to the head followed by a solid uppercut staggered Bourgeois, and The Monster wasted no time ending the fight with a flurry of punches to bring his dream of one day fighting in the UFC just a little closer.
When he fell I went in and stood over him, and started hitting him. He kinda curled up into a ball against the cage, so I stood over him and hit him, I think once or twice, or maybe three times, and then the referee came over and broke it up.
With the promotion set to visit Ottawa this June, Nelson knows he has a chance to make an impression with eyes looking north of the border.
“If I could get another fight this month, that would be awesome,” he says. “The UFC is coming to Ottawa on June 18, so if I can get a fight soon and get another quick finish and if someone has to back out of the card, gets hurt or something, I think I’ve put myself in a good position to take a last minute fight in the UFC.”
Nelson (centre, with belt) training at Para Bellum MMA in Oakville just days after his victory (Photo courtesy of Kyle Nelson)
The win also left Nelson undefeated in the 145-pound featherweight division, after choosing to fight up a weight class as a 155-pound lightweight in his only career defeat last fall. At the lighter weight class, Nelson’s height and reach give him an advantage over the majority of other fighters he faces in the ring. Cutting the extra pounds isn’t an easy process though, and takes an incredible amount of determination and drive.
“The diet is very rigorous, nothing but water, chicken and broccoli, that’s what I lived off for two months leading up to the fight,” he says. “It takes 100 per cent commitment. You see commercials about food, and it could be food that I would never eat, but just because you’ve been living off chicken for a couple months, you think, ‘Wow, that looks like it would taste awesome.’
“I think its something everyone should try, going on a specific diet like that, because it makes you appreciate food so much more. For me, after the fight, when I do get to eat a ‘cheat meal’, its amazing how it tastes way better than it would have before.”
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Nelson credits Dr. Lowell Greib at The SportLab for providing invaluable sport therapy, nutrition advice, and overall support in helping him prepare and cut weight through his training camp and the fight. Dr. Greib also introduced The Monster to Dr. Aaron Zadek, who has now cornered for him twice in addition to being a logistics coordinator with training partner Jeremy Knight of Bracebridge.
“For the last eight weeks, Kyle and I have been in touch almost daily for check-in on weight, fueling strategies, tweaks to his training program and any necessary medical advice to keep him performing optimally,” says Dr. Greib. “The last few months have been very intense for him to achieve optimal body composition while still making performance gains in technical skill, speed, agility and endurance. He executed exceptionally well in the two minutes of the fight, but what most don’t realize is that preparation to have him perform at this elite level start months in advance.”
“After the fight I had two beers, the first I’ve had in I don’t know how long,” laughs Nelson. “And later some of the parm and garlic from Moose Delaney’s. The next day, I was back at it.”
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