Veteran UFC lightweight Kyle Nelson issued a statement following his KO loss to Cristian Perez on the UFC Edmonton main card.
Fighting in front of his home country did not help Nelson, as he was brutally stopped by punches in the very first round by Perez, who was making his UFC debut.
The 35-year-old Nelson has now lost three of his last four fights by knockout, and is at a very real risk of being released by the UFC following this latest loss.
Kyle Nelson Releases Statement After UFC Edmonton Loss
Taking to his social media after UFC Edmonton, Nelson released a statement following his latest loss in the promotion.
“Thank you everyone for all the support! It’s going to take me a while to catch up with all the messages but I am healthy and don’t have any injuries. Excited to spend some time with my family!” Nelson wrote on his Instagram.
What’s Next for Kyle Nelson?
There is no doubt this was a tough loss for Nelson, who could be on thin ice with the UFC after being knocked out in the first round for the second time in 2026 and the third time in his last four bouts.
Though Nelson is a well-respected Canadian fighter, he is 35 years old now, and he has only one win in the last two years. Therefore, the promotion’s matchmakers could let him go as they make way for new fighters from Season 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
That being said, there is still an outside chance that Nelson could get one more fight, as the UFC is coming back to Canada for UFC 336 in January in Toronto, which is in Nelson’s home province of Ontario. Therefore, there is a chance that he could get one more fight inside the Octagon, since that card is guaranteed to be stacked with Canadians.
Either way, Nelson has a fallback plan with firefighting if his MMA career doesn’t work out, so he still has another option to give himself should things not work out for the veteran in the UFC if the promotion decides to release him.
Kyle Nelson Issues Statement After UFC Edmonton KO Loss