Bill Algeo: Life Is Too Sweet

Lamas earned a unanimous decision win, collecting 10-8 scores across the board in the third to claim the victory, but the pair earned Fight of the Night honors, providing Algeo with a little additional financial ointment to ease the sting of a lopsided final round and loss in his promotional debut, not that he’s one to get too bent out of shape about the ups and downs that come over the course of a career forged in the cage.

The 34-year-old earned his stripes on the rugged East Coast regional circuit, logging the majority of his pre-UFC appearances in CFFC and Ring of Combat, claiming gold in each promotion while facing a tough slate, including future UFC competitors Shane Burgos and Jared Gordon.

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He auditioned for a spot on the UFC roster during Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, facing off with former TUF contestant Brendan Loughnane, but dropped a unanimous decision to the British standout. He returned to CFFC, collecting a win two months later, and then got the call to face Lamas two weeks after that.

All the while, Algeo was focused on running his gym, teaching classes, and being a family man, things that continue to be his chief motivations even while he’s in the midst of a solid run on the biggest stage in the sport.

“I’ve got a lot of other things going on in my life,” began Algeo, who kicked off his quality run over the last two years with a unanimous decision win over surging Brazilian Joanderson Brito. “I’ve had a gym now for the last eight years, teaching others, coaching others even before I ever got into the UFC.

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“A lot of these UFC fighters don’t have a business or any other backup plan; they wait until they’re done fighting to start that, and maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn’t. I’m also a family man with two young boys now, too, so I’ve got a lot going on.”

Those core responsibilities help illuminate one of the things that makes Algeo so different than many of his contemporaries.

For a lot of fighters — hell, for a lot of people, in general — their identity and feelings of self-worth are tethered to what they do professionally, both in terms of how they are viewed and how they perform.

Each assignment carries a standard amount of pressure, but the ebbs and flows ratchet it up or turn it down a notch or two, with the drive to succeed and the rewards for one’s efforts becoming a powerful force that can be both beneficial or detrimental, and can shift just as swiftly as the wind.

But Algeo isn’t propelled into the Octagon in search of stardom, fame, and the spoils that come with it. He’s not fighting to secure his financial future because he worked to secure that long before he touched down in the UFC, which allows him to fight with a different kind of freedom and ease.

“I love competing, I love getting better at fighting, and I’m excited every time I go in there to show out and show what I can do,” he said of his motivations. “I know I’m tough, so it’s just a matter of do the right things, be in shape, and apply the pressure.

“The goal is always to get that second check, but I’m not worried about it if I don’t get it, which helps me free up my style. I’m not so worried about having the perfect record or ‘I have to climb the ladder.’

“I know what the UFC wants and I know what the UFC spectators want — they want action,” added the engaging featherweight, who owns a 4-1 record and three-fight winning streak in Atlantic City from back in his days on the regional circuit. “They want somebody who can speak in the cage, outside of the cage, and the average consumer — not the diehards, not the go-hards that know everyone’s stats; just the regular consumer — wants (to say), ‘That was a cool fight; that was great, and then he made fun of the entire town afterwards.’”

Algeo smiled, recalling his post-fight heel promo in Kansas City.

“So that’s my schtick now, I guess.”

Breaking out Ric Flair-inspired promos and putting on quality fights is very much “his schtick” and something Algeo will look to continue to do this weekend against Nelson, a fellow veteran coming off a quality year in 2023.

After a strong career on the Canadian regional scene, Nelson got the call to the UFC towards the end of 2018 and stumbled out of the gate, suffering four losses in his first five starts while trying to pin down whether he should compete at lightweight or featherweight.

But after battling Dooho Choi to a draw last February, “The Monster” posted back-to-back decision wins over Blake Bilder and Fernando Padilla to carry a three-fight unbeaten streak into his main card pairing with Algeo on Saturday.

“He comes from a good camp; the kickboxing scene in Canada is strong, I know that,” Algeo said, beginning his assessment of Nelson and the breakdown of how things tend to play out inside the cage. “He’s good, he’s tough, he’s durable; he’s lost to some guys, he’s beaten some guys, but I don’t see anything spectacular out of him, to be honest with you.

“I’m pretty durable too, so essentially that can cancel each other out, and then it’s who’s slicker? Who is more refined? Who makes better decisions that night? Who’s the better athlete? Anything can happen on that night, but who made better decisions? Who had a better game plan and who actually followed it?”

Come Saturday night, the plan is for him to be the answer to all those essential questions — for him to put on another entertaining performance and jump on the mic and drop another pro wrestling promo to wrap up a successful road trip to the Jersey Shore.

But if it’s not, that’s okay, too, because life is good for Algeo, and he’s going to enjoy himself no matter what.

“This is a dream of mine and I’m doing well, which is just making the dream that much better, but I have other things in my life set up and I’m happy all around,” he said with a smile. “Family, business, they’re all good, so this is just icing on the cake, and the icing just keeps getting heavier and thicker and sweeter, with sprinkles.”