UFC Vancouver: Kyle Nelson full post-fight interview
UFC Fight Night 262 winner Kyle Nelson talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his unanimous decision victory over Matt Frevola.
VANCOUVER – In many eyes, Kyle Nelson won twice in the same fight, but he’s not upset with the blunder caused by referee Dan Miragliotta.
Kicking off the main card of UFC Fight Night 262 at Rogers Arena, Nelson (17-6-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) moved back up to the lightweight division to take on Matt Frevola. In the closing seconds of the opening round, Nelson thought he was on the verge of a TKO finish as he was raining down hard ground and pound on Frevola (11-6-1 MMA, 5-6-1 UFC).
Miragliotta stepped in with three seconds left on the clock, seemingly to call a halt to the fight. However, Miragliotta directed the fight to continue into the second round, as he thought he heard the horn, signaling the end of the first frame.
Nelson was confused, but didn’t overreact to the moment.
“I’d say it was pretty chaotic,” Nelson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “My adrenaline spiked, and I started thinking about what I gotta do. Like, the fight’s over, and we’ve been building to this fight for however long, month and a half, two months. I’m looking forward to going home with my fiancee and my kids.
“They’re like, nope, you’ve gotta turn right back around and keep fighting this man. I was tired, I kind of emptied the gas tank at the end of the first, but I knew I gotta go into the second round. I know I’m not gonna give up, I’m not gonna quit. He’s not gonna put me away, and that second win is gonna come at some point, and I’ll keep pushing through.”
Miragliotta stepping in seemed like a normal referee stoppage, as Frevola was taking heavy punishment from the punches Nelson landed without properly defending himself. UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner was brought in to comment during the fight’s broadcast to say that Miragliotta made a mistake.
“I mean, it is what it is,” Nelson said. “I won the fight. I don’t hold anything against Dan. Dan’s always been a great guy. I think he’s a great ref. I would have loved to have a TKO win, but either way at this point, I fought an extra two rounds, we’re not gonna be able to change that. I got the victory either way. So, I’m just looking forward to moving forward, spending time with the family, and looking at the next fight at lightweight.”
The fight ended up reaching the final horn, and Ontario’s Nelson was declared the winner by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) on home soil. It was a bizarre situation for Nelson and his team, but he was relieved to hear the support throughout it all from the Canadian fans.
“I haven’t experienced anything like that,” Nelson said. “Obviously, I fought here in Vancouver before; I had these great fans behind me then as well. It’s nice to see everyone kind of recognize – I don’t know, I don’t think I’d call it an injustice, but a mistake that happened, that wasn’t favorable for me. It was nice to see the fans kind of support me like that.”
