Another Canadian talent has found his way onto the UFC 289 card.
Kyle Nelson (13-5-1), originally from Huntsville and fighting out of Stoney Creek, Ontario, will face Blake Bilder (8-0-1) at the June PPV event.
Iridium Sports Agency, who represent Bilder, recently announced the news. Though no official location for the show has been announced, rumors have circulated that the card will mark the promotion’s return to Canada.
Though Bilder initially announced that the fight would take place in Calgary, Nelson later posted that no location had been set. Cageside Press previously confirmed that contracts for some of the first-reported bouts for UFC 289 were issued with TBD for location; Vancouver and Calgary were both among the cities in the running, per multiple sources.
Where ever the card lands, Canada or not, there will be a strong Canadian contingent: Jasmine Jasudavicius, Marc-Andre Barriault, and Nelson have all been reported for the event, as well as Diana Belbita, a Romanian training out of Stoney Creek’s House of Champions MMA alongside Nelson.
“The Monster” is coming off a majority draw against Doo-Ho Choi, and is in must-win territory after posting a 1-4-1 record inside the octagon. Bilder, a former CFFC champ, won his way into the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, and defeated Shane Young at UFC 284 earlier this year.
While the location is still up in the air, UFC 289 currently has the following fights reported for it:
- Miranda Maverick vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Eryk Anders vs. Marc-André Barriault
- Diana Belbiţă vs. Maria Oliveira
- Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson
- Matt Schnell vs. David Dvořák
- Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
