What's the story?
Gunnar Nelson marked his Octagon return tonight at UFC 231 with a huge win over Alex Oliveira via submission.
In case you didn't know...
Prior to his return to the Octagon tonight, Gunnar Nelson last competed in the Octagon against Santiago Ponzinibbio, losing the bout via first-round knockout.
Nelson's opponent Alex Oliveira, on the other hand, came into this bout fresh off a win over Carlo Pedersoli Jr. beating him in 39 seconds of the very first round.
The heart of the matter
Gunnar Nelson starts off the bout with an early combination and catches Oliveira with a low kick. Nelson presses 'Cowboy' against the cage before taking some brutal elbow shots. Nelson presses Oliveira against the cage only for the ref to step in, we restart from the similar position as Nelson manages a takedown. Oliveria returns with some big shots, as Nelson maintains his composure throughout. Nelson secures a heel hook submission but isn't able to lock it in properly, as round 1 comes to an end.
Round two begins as Oliveira lands an early uppercut, as Nelson is busted open. Nelson is moving forward but his nose is all bloody and despite not doing much, the Icelander kept put and stayed in control. Nelson drops down a pair of big elbows and Oliveria is split wide open. A nasty looking cut and there's blood everywhere. Nelson locks in the rear-naked choke and the fight is over!
Gunnar Nelson wins via submission in the second round.
What's next?
Now that Gunnar Nelson is finally back, the entire Welterweight Division has certainly been put on notice and things have definitely gotten a lot more interesting, to say the least. Who's next for the 'Gunni'? Will he lock horns with someone like Kamaru Usman, Darren Till, or maybe even a bout against newcomer Ben Askren? We'll have to wait and see!
