An intriguing clash pitting two veteran featherweights has been
added to the UFC
Atlantic City card next month.
Bill
Algeo (18-7) is gearing up to face Canada’s Kyle Nelson
(15-5-1) on the UFC on ESPN 54 lineup that will mark the Las
Vegas-based promotion’s return to New Jersey. The bout on March 30
was first reported by
MMA Junkie on Thursday, and it has since been confirmed by both
fighters on their respective Instagram pages.
Algeo has gone 4-1 in his last five outings, only losing a hotly
contested split decision against another grizzled vet in Andre Fili in
September 2022. The American has won two straight, which includes a
submission victory over T.J. Brown in
April last year, followed by a unanimous decision over Alexander
Hernandez in October.
Meanwhile, Nelson will look to add to his two-fight winning streak
when facing Algeo. The Canadian finally seems to be gaining
momentum after going 1-4 in his first five outings in the UFC. “The
Monster” will enter the Octagon on the heels of back-to-back
unanimous decision victories against Fernando
Padilla and Blake
Bilder to cap off a decent 2023 campaign, respectively. The win
against Bilder marked the end of a three-fight winless streak for
Nelson, which included a majority draw against Doo Ho Choi
at
UFC Fight Night 218.
UFC Atlantic City will occur on March 30 at the Boardwalk Hall in
Atlantic City, New Jersey. No headliner is currently on the books,
as the pairing between Vicente
Luque and Sean Brady
fell apart due to the latter’s injury. Should the organization not
add a new matchup to the billing, top-ranked flyweight contenders
Erin
Blanchfield and Manon
Fiorot may take center stage. Also featured on the main card,
City Kickboxing product Carlos
Ulberg will face Alonzo
Menifield in a light heavyweight clash.