Jai Herbert Returns at UFC Fight Night Winnipeg Against Mandel Nallo in Lightweight Clash

After just over a year of inactivity inside the Octagon, Wolverhampton’s own Jai Herbert will be looking to come back with a bang at UFC Fight Night Winnipeg on April 18th.

The man who will be standing opposite him in the cage is Mandel Nallo, the latest entrant to the lightweight division hailing from Canada.

Nallo most recently got the best of Samuel Silva in his first and only Contender Series bout, finishing the fight in the first round with a clean straight hand landing flush on Silva’s chin, leading to a TKO win.

Across his nine UFC bouts, ‘The Black Country Banger’ has faced some of the best fighters in the world, including Renato Moicano and the current UFC lightweight champion and former UFC featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria.

Fighting in someone else’s back garden, so to speak, is never an easy task. In an interview with Combat Evolved ahead of his fight with Nallo, Herbert spoke about his opponent, saying: “He’s the home fighter, he’s from Canada, I’m loving that. I have fought away before and I really like fighting away, and when they’re from those places, it is even better.”

Herbert boasts an excellent stand-up game, especially with his boxing ability, which has assisted him in picking up wins in Cage Warriors and in the UFC.

With Nallo standing opposite him, Herbert knows he must be prepared for anything, especially given the variety of ways Nallo has secured victory in his previous bouts. He said: “Mandel looks like he’s more of a striker, so he could want to stand with me, he might want to wrestle, I’m down for whatever!”

“When I first got his name, I watched a few of his fights, I watched his recent ones. He had a good run on the Contender Series. You never know what he could be bringing to the cage, so you have to be prepared for everything, and I am prepared in any way that it goes.”

Herbert will be making his 10th entrance into a UFC-branded cage on April 18th. On the contrary, Nallo will be making his UFC debut against the Englishman. Herbert reflected on his career in the Octagon and said: “My experience in the UFC has been good, it has been up and down, but I would not change it for the world. I have fought the best guys in the world. If you look at my career and the people I have fought, I’m going to take that experience and run with it.”

The overall time spent under the big lights, with all the pressure that the UFC has to offer, can play a big factor in which fighter the referee raises the hand of after the final round. Will the man from the West Midlands get back to winning ways against the Canadian in his own country? We will find out later this month.