Preview: UFC Fight Night 208 Prelims

Lightweights

Jai Herbert (11-4 | 1-3 UFC) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-4 | 1-3 UFC)

Odds: Herbert (-265), Nelson (+225)

It's good to see Jai Herbert back, as England's "Black Country Banger" is both a fun and talented fighter who's struggled to turn his skills into UFC victories. Highly successful on the European scene, Herbert figured to at least need some transition time to hit a groove at the UFC level; his long frame gives him enough snap on his strikes to take out regional opponents, but against better competition his pressure-heavy style has just seemed like a waste of his physical gifts. That's held particularly true due to some rough matchmaking; Herbert was clearly in an underdog position in losses against Francisco Trinaldo and Renato Moicano, and after rebounding with a knockout of Khama Worthy, Herbert got handed another tough test in elite prospect Ilia Topuria. The first round of the Topuria fight was some of the best work of Herbert's career, as he even got Topuria close to a finish in the opening moments, but when Topuria turned things around it was quick and brutal via a second-round knockout. Here, Herbert takes on Canada's Kyle Nelson, back in action after nearly two years on the shelf and making a full-time move up to lightweight. Nelson's a frustrating fighter, as "The Monster" has some obvious talent but is somewhat fragile behind a bullying approach. Nelson sometimes has some blistering starts, including a 2019 knockout of Marco Polo Reyes, and when things are fully clicking he's capable of blending knockout power with some strong wrestling. But while Nelson can come back from adversity, there's seemingly always a point where his opponent finds a way to break Nelson's confidence and take him completely out of the fight; his last bout, against the attrition-heavy style of Billy Quarantillo, seemed destined to end in a third-round finish for Quarantillo - and indeed did. Nelson could absolutely obliterate Herbert in short order - particularly given that Herbert is prone to a knockout - but there's just as much of a chance that Herbert can land some early offense with his own hot start and take Nelson mentally out the fight, particularly with the Canadian needing to bully his opponents and potentially being thrown off by such a large opponent. It's a risky proposition to have faith in either man, but the pick is Herbert via second-round stoppage.

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