After a few false starts, Canada’s Kyle Nelson finally got his first win inside the octagon last year. The victory came at UFC Vancouver, and its importance cannot be understated, given what the 0-3 mark in the promotion so often means.
Speaking to Cageside Press at the UFC Vegas 10 media day this week, ahead of his return against Billy Quarantillo, Nelson (13-3) admitted that securing the victory “feels pretty good.”
“I think it was just about getting my mindset and stuff right in the first two. Obviously the first fight was super short notice, I didn’t really have much time to prepare. And then the second fight, I felt like I prepared really well physically, but mentally I just wasn’t in the right space,” Nelson admitted. The third time was the charm, however. In that case, at UFC Vancouver, “I got everything dialed in, and obviously performed really well for that one. And, you know, I’ve had a year since then basically to keep improving not only physically but mentally, and I feel like I’m only gonna be even better now.”
Nelson’s opponent this weekend in Las Vegas, Quarantillo, is on an impressive run. Seven straight wins, the last two of which have come inside the octagon. Nelson isn’t sweating that.
“I think he’s a good opponent. Well-rounded. Definitely, I think he’s at his best on the ground,” observed Nelson. But that said, he added that “I think he’s a little more of a survivor. Not really a killer. I don’t think he poses a lot of danger to me.”
Instead, said Nelson, “I think, his best bet is to try and try and take me down and try and ride out a boring decision win, but I’m not going to let him do that.”
UFC Vegas 10 takes place this Saturday, September 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).
