UFC featherweight Blake Bilder has claimed that his upcoming matchup with Kyle Nelson at UFC 289 is a perfect one.
Fresh off of Dana White’s Contender Series, Bilder took to Australia in February to take on hometown fighter Shane Young, beating him by unanimous decision. He will look to do the same again at UFC 289 when he travels to Canada. This time, matched up against an Ontarian in Kyle Nelson.
However, the 32-year-old is relishing the challenge of travelling to enemy territory again, calling Nelson a perfect matchup stylistically.
In an exclusive interview with Combat Sports UK, he spoke about the occasion in detail.
He said: “Stylistically it’s a perfect matchup for me. I just feel like overall I’m so well-rounded and I really haven’t shown anybody like my true capabilities.
“In Australia, [a] 20-hour flight, being jet lagged, fighting at seven in the morning – it was just a lot, it’s a lot to take on.
“And then you’re in enemy territory, which really doesn’t bother me at all to be honest, when they booed I loved it [and] when they cheered for him, I loved it. None of that bothers me because I love fighting.
“Stylistically, I’ve just been getting better and better and the programming that me and my coaches have been doing will surely pay off. You’ll see.”
Blake Bilder on UFC 289 Opponent Kyle Nelson
Nelson has won just one of his six UFC bouts and it looks as though he may need a win over Bilder to keep his UFC career alive.
But, despite acknowledging his opponent’s bad luck, he feels that his and his team’s preparation won’t allow that to happen.
He said: “We’ve done our research on him and what-not and [it] looks like he’s had not so great luck on his last few fights. It hasn’t gone his way so he’s probably pretty hungry to get back in there and get back in the winning column.
“I just feel like our preparation and everything won’t allow that.”
Prior to his UFC debut, Bilder was on a streak of four consecutive finishes. He hopes to get back on a finishing run when he faces Nelson.
He said: “It’s gonna be a finish, we’re gonna get a bonus, I’m gonna get a finish and I’m excited.
“The Canadian crowd, I’m excited to win them over.”
Blake Bilder Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Blake Bilder below:
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Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
