Sporting the red-and-white of Canada, over 7,000 kilometres from home and wearing a Moose Delaney’s ball cap, Kyle Nelson was the picture of confidence. Never a brash or brazen fighter, Nelson has always intimidated his opponents another way, with his quiet certainty that feels so much like the final moments of calm before a storm.
The Monster proudly displays his Canadian colours while walking out to the cage (Photo courtesy of XMedia Studio)
Well, unleash a storm he did, coming into the octagon and fighting like the Monster he has become to submit Hungarian Turai Zoltan in the third round and bring his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) dreams a little closer to reality.
It didn’t come easy, but mixed martial arts (MMA) fights at this level rarely do. Every time Nelson knocked Zoltan down, his opponent picked himself back up. Every time the Huntsville champ took him to the mat to grapple, Zoltan would absorb the punches and kicks and knees that landed without pause or mercy as the onslaught continued. A nervous Bucharest crowd watched the Hungarian fighter survive the first round, then escape the second.
Zoltan did not see the end of the third. Just 1:23 in, the Monster finished what he had come to Romania to do, submitting his opponent with a rear-naked chokehold to win the fight and improve his already sterling professional record to 8-1.
“Just his toughness,” said Nelson, when asked about whether he had any problems finishing his opponent after the fight. “I hit him in the head a lot, hurt my hands, and he took all the punches, he stayed in and stayed strong. He was super tough.”
Nelson deals out punishment from a controlling position as Turai Zoltan tries to hang on (Photo courtesy of XMedia Studio)
The victory also marked Nelson’s first international win, an important distinction considering his only career loss came while fighting in the United States, to Adrian Hadribeaj, last fall. The Monster is undefeated in Canada.
“It was great, I had lots of fun,” said Nelson, who remained in Romania for a few days after the event to explore the countryside and further experience the culture. “It’s a beautiful country, although the language barrier can be tricky at times and the food is a little different from what I’m used to. The fight itself was the same, but the lead up was also a bit different, especially with the long flight.”
The Monster looks to continue building on the momentum of his last two victories by finding his next bout as soon as possible, while remaining in a good position to take a short-notice fight in the event of an injury or dropout in the upcoming UFC Fight Night in Ottawa.
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