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 Fight Night 151. He lost the fight via submission via arm-triangle choke 3:16 into round 3.
Nelson fought next at UFC Fight Night 159 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 12. 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 on ESPN 17. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round.
Nelson faced Jai Herbert on July 23, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 208. 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.
Moving up to lightweight, Nelson faced Matt Frevola on October 18, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 262. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Nelson faced Terrance McKinney on March 28, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 271. He lost the fight via technical knockout 24 seconds into the first round.
Nelson is scheduled to face promotional newcomer Cristian Pérez on October 17, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 291.
Championships and accomplishments Elite1 Mixed Martial Arts Featherweight Championship
Mixed martial arts record
|Loss |align=center|17–7–1 |Terrance McKinney |TKO (head kick and punches) |UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:24 |Seattle, Washington, United States
|Win |align=center|17–6–1 |Matt Frevola |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs. Allen | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|Loss |align=center|16–6–1 |Steve Garcia |TKO (elbows and punches) |UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:59 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|16–5–1 |Bill Algeo |TKO (punches) |UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:00 |Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
|Win |align=center| |Fernando Padilla |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center| |Blake Bilder |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 289 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|Draw |align=center| |Choi Doo-ho |Draw (majority) |UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Loss |align=center|13–5 |Jai Herbert |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |London, England
|Loss |align=center|13–4 |Billy Quarantillo |KO (punch) |UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill | |align=center|3 |align=center|0:07 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
| Win | align=center|13–3 | Polo Reyes | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:36 | Mexico City, Mexico
|Loss | align=center|12–3 | Matt Sayles | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy | |align=center|3 |align=center|3:16 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| Loss | align=center|12–2 | Carlos Diego Ferreira | TKO (punches) | UFC 231 | | align=center|2 | align=center|1:23 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| Win | align=center|12–1 | Morteza Rezaei | TKO (punches) | Real Xtreme Fighting 32 | | align=center|1 | align=center|4:57 | Brașov, Romania
| Win | align=center| 11–1 | Khama Worthy | KO (punches) | BTC 1 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:03 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| Win | align=center| 10–1 | Gabriel Mănucă | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Real Xtreme Fighting 26 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:50 | Brașov, Romania
| Win | align=center| 9–1 | Jonathan Brookins | Decision (split) | Z Promotions: Fight Night 2 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
| Win | align=center| 8–1 | Zoltán Turi | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Real Xtreme Fighting 23 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:23 | Bucharest, Romania
| Win | align=center| 7–1 | Justin Bourgeois | TKO (punches) | Elite 1 MMA: Meltdown | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:01 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
| Loss | align=center| 6–1 | Adrian Hadribeaj | Decision (unanimous) | Triple X Cagefighting: Legends 6 | | align=center| 5 | align=center| 5:00 | Novi, Michigan, United States
| Win | align=center| 6–0 | Ainsley Robinson | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | Substance Cage Combat 2 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:42 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| Win | align=center| 5–0 | Alex Halkias | Decision (unanimous) | Provincial FC 2 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | London, Ontario, Canada
| Win | align=center| 4–0 | Neelan Hordatt | Decision (split) | Substance Cage Combat 1 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| Win | align=center| 3–0 | Maxime Dubois | TKO (punches) | Ultimate Generation Combat 32 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 1:36 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| Win | align=center| 2–0 | Jo Petahtegoose | Submission (armbar) | Score Fighting Series 6 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:54 | Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
| Win | align=center| 1–0 | Michael Dufort | Decision (unanimous) | Ringside MMA 13 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada
See also List of current UFC fighters List of Canadian UFC fighters List of male mixed martial artists
References
External links