Claudio Silva Forced Out of Gunnar Nelson UFC London Matchup Due to Knee Injury

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Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Gunnar Nelson was hoping to get back in action later this month, but he might have to wait a little bit longer.

According to MMA Fighting on Friday, Claudio Silva (14-3) has suffered a knee injury and has been forced to withdraw from UFC Fight Night 204. The March 19 UFC London card, one that may be substantially affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine as it pertains to the travel status of the Russians on the card, is down this welterweight matchup for the time being. It is unclear if the promotion will be able to find a replacement for Nelson (17-5-1) or if the matchup will be preserved and moved to a later date. News of Silva’s injury has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Both Nelson and his former prospective opponent were aiming to snap two-fight decision skids coming into their pairing. Nelson, who recently signed a new contract with the organization, has not fought inside the Octagon since September 2019. In his last two appearances, both of which coming in 2019, he dropped decisions to future top contenders Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns. His lone victory dating back to early 2017 is a submission over Alex Oliveira, and “Cowboy” will have competed eight times as of Saturday since Nelson last won a fight.

Similarly inactive for large stretches of his UFC tenure, Brazil’s Silva has only fought seven times since debuting in the Las Vegas-based promotion in March 2014. While he strung five wins together including three submissions, his last two fights were less than successful. In October 2020, James Krause became the first fighter to actually beat him, as Silva’s sole prior defeat came by disqualification. A subsequent decision loss to Court McGee in May 2021 placed “Hannibal” on the first losing streak of his career that began in 2007.

The UFC London card – also known as UFC Fight Night 204 – will go down inside the recently repaired O2 Arena in London. The currently booked headliner comes at heavyweight between Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall, but that bout may be in jeopardy depending on if Volkov is allowed to enter the country. The co-main event comes at featherweight, when top-ranked Arnold Allen puts his 10-fight win streak on the line against ex-lightweight Dan Hooker. Other matchups including a heavyweight contest between Shamil Abdurakhimov and Sergei Pavlovich as well as a bantamweight clash pitting Jack Shore against Timur Valiev may similarly fall through like the Volkov marquee match. Finally, Liudvik Sholinian has apparently declared himself out of his bantamweight fight with Nathaniel Wood, as he returned to his home country of Ukraine.