Once a prodigy, Gunnar Nelson now views the sport through a veteran’s lens.
As Nelson moves ever closer to his forthcoming clash with Barberena at 170 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:
1. Worth the Wait
Nelson, just 24 at the time, met the great expectations that greeted his long-awaited Octagon debut and submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 finalist DaMarques Johnson with a first-round rear-naked choke as part of the UFC on Fuel TV 5 undercard on Sept. 29, 2012 at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. Johnson conceded defeat 3:34 into Round 1. Nelson struck for a takedown inside the first minute, scrambled into side control and eventually moved to full mount. Johnson surrendered his back, only to find himself flattened out by a body triangle from the Icelandic grappling ace. The situation was soon hopeless. After a brief struggle, Nelson locked down the choke and elicited the tapout.
2. Irresistible Force
Rick Story utilized volume punching, leg kicks and superb defensive wrestling in seizing a split decision from Nelson in the UFC Fight Night 53 headliner on Oct. 4, 2014 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm. Judges Mark Collett and Paul Sutherland struck 49-46 and 50-44 scorecards for Story, while Jim Bergman cast a puzzling 48-47 score for Nelson. Story frustrated the Icelandic star with his output and tireless work rate. For every punch Nelson delivered, Story offered two, three and sometimes four in return. More importantly, Story diversified his attack, mixing in leg kicks and investing in punishing punches to the body. The Washington native floored Nelson with a left hook on the chin in the fourth round and backed it up with standing-to-ground punches. When it became clear a finish was not going to materialize, Story invited the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to stand and picked up where he left off. Nelson failed to pull the fight to the ground for any significant period of time. Trapped on the feet, he was often reduced to throwing one right hand at a time, and though the SBG Ireland rep caused significant damage to Story’s right eye, he fought a losing battle with the numbers game.
3. Respect Your Elders
Demian Maia humbled Nelson with shocking ease when he cruised to a unanimous decision in their UFC 194 welterweight showcase on Dec. 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25 for Maia, who breezed past his fellow grappling whiz. Nelson never had a chance. Maia got in on his legs at will, initiated scrambles and deftly advanced to top position against the Gracie protégé. The 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist achieved full mount twice, transitioned to the back on multiple occasions and battered Nelson with an endless stream of ground-and-pound. Statistical data told the tale of utter domination: Maia landed 193 total strikes to Nelson’s seven and piled up nearly 11 minutes of control time.
4. Choke Artist
Nelson put away Alan Jouban with a guillotine choke in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 107 co-main event on March 18, 2017 at the O2 Arena in London. Jouban, who had never before been submitted, bowed out 46 seconds into Round 2. Nelson was in charge from start to finish. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt delivered a first-round takedown, slid to side control and climbed to full mount, as he made the strongest of opening statements. Early in the second round, he staggered Jouban with a straight right, followed it with a head kick when the stricken Resurrection Fighting Alliance veteran retreated to the fence and then clamped down in the fight-ending guillotine, moving to a mounted position to force the tapout.
5. Not Quite Elite
Leon Edwards rode a near-finish in the second round to a split decision over Nelson in their UFC Fight Night 147 co-headliner on March 16, 2019 at the O2 Arena in London. Judge Howard Hughes saw it 29-28 for Nelson, while Anders Ohlsson and Andy Roberts scored it for Edwards, 29-27 and 29-28. After a closely contested first five minutes, Edwards made his move in Round 2. He floored Nelson with a counter elbow at close range, swooped into top position and unleashed short punches, elbows and hammerfists. The Icelandic grappler withstood the assault but emerged with a massive hematoma near his right eye. Nelson showed his resilience in the third round, where he followed a straight right hand to the face with a takedown and climbed to full mount. Edwards managed to stay calm while pinned beneath a world-class grappler and denied the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt the finish he needed.