Rivalries: Gunnar Nelson

Gunnar Nelson may have been gone for a time, but he has certainly not been forgotten.

“Gunni” will cross the threshold into the Octagon for the first time in two years, five months and 19 days when he locks horns with Sanford MMA’s Takashi Sato in a UFC Fight Night 204 welterweight feature on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Nelson, 33, owns an 8-5 record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and enters the cage on the heels of back-to-back losses. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 160, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns on Sept. 28, 2019.

As Nelson makes final preparations ahead of his three-round battle with Sato at 170 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Jorge Santiago

Nelson remained undefeated and passed the most significant test of his career when he captured a unanimous verdict over the former Sengoku champion in a UFC on Fuel TV 7 welterweight showcase on Feb. 16, 2013 at Wembley Arena in London. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27. Santiago enjoyed some success with knees from the clinch and occasional right hands, but Nelson kept him off-balance with his awkward karate-based standup style. The Renzo Gracie protégé turned the tide in his favor with a dominant second round, where he struck for a takedown and scored with standing-to-ground punches and elbows before ultimately mounting his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Nelson did a number on Santiago with uppercuts in Round 3, but the Brazilian refused to stand down. Though weary, Santiago lashed out with lefts and rights, the last one of which caught Nelson clean on the chin in the closing seconds. Those efforts, however, went for naught.

Rick Story

The onetime Brave Legion pillar utilized volume punching, leg kicks and superb defensive wrestling in seizing a split decision against 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 sided with Story by 49-46 and 50-44 counts, while Jim Bergman cast a head-scratching nod in Nelson’s favor. 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, he diversified his attack by mixing in leg kicks and investing in punishing punches to the body. The Tacoma, 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 SBG Ireland representative to stand and picked up where he left off. An accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, the previously unbeaten 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 he caused significant damage to Story’s right eye, he fought a losing battle with the numbers game.

Demian Maia

The 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist humbled Nelson with shocking ease when he cruised to a unanimous decision in their UFC 194 welterweight attraction on Dec. 12, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Scores were 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25. Nelson never had a chance. Maia got in on his legs at will, initiated scrambles and deftly advanced to top position against the longtime Renzo Gracie protégé. He achieved full mount twice, transitioned to the back on multiple occasions and battered Nelson with an endless stream of ground-and-pound. By the time it was over, Maia had connected on 193 total strikes while absorbing only seven of them in return.

Alan Jouban

Nelson submitted the Black House-trained action hero 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, conceded defeat 46 seconds into Round 2. Nelson was in charge from start to finish. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Goju-ryu karate 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 middle stanza, he staggered Jouban with a straight right, followed it with a head kick when the stricken Lafayette, Louisiana, native retreated to the fence and then clamped down in the fight-ending guillotine, moving to a mounted position to force the tapout.

Leon Edwards

The former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion rode a near-finish in the second round to a split verdict over Nelson in their UFC Fight Night 147 co-feature on March 16, 2019 at the O2 Arena in London. Judges Anders Ohlsson and Andy Roberts struck 29-27 and 29-28 scorecards for Edwards, while Howard Hughes saw it 29-28 for Nelson. 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.