Canadian lightweight Kyle (The Monster) Nelson, returning to action after a 22-month-absence, started strongly but faded en route to a loss by decision to England's Jai (Black Country Banger) Herbert on a UFC Fight Night card Saturday.
All three judges scored it 29-28 to Herbert (12-4-0), each giving him the last two rounds. The main event at the O2 Arena pitted American Curtis (Razor) Blaydes, ranked fourth among heavyweight contenders, against No.
6 Tom Aspinall of England. Both Nelson and Herbert weighed in at 155 pounds with the 31-year-old from Huntsville, Ont., who trains out of Stoney Creek, Ont., making the move up to lightweight from featherweight (145 pounds).
Both needed a win, each coming into the cage at 1-3-0 in the UFC after losing by nasty knockout last time out. Nelson was felled by Billy Quarantillo in September 2020 while Herbert was stopped by Spain's Ilia (El Matador) Topuria in March at the same venue.