| Gunnar Nelson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gunnar Nelson | |
| Born | Gunnar Lúðvík Nelson[1] (1988-07-28)28 July 1988 (age 37) Akureyri, Iceland[2] |
| Nickname | Gunni |
| Residence | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm)[3] |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,Karate |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Team | Mjölnir SBG Ireland |
| Rank | Black belt inGōjū-ryū Karate[4] 3rd degree black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu[5] underRenzo Gracie[2][6] |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 26 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 13 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Website | gunnarnelson |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing Iceland | ||
| Grappling | ||
| World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (Gi) | ||
 | 2009 | Middleweight (Brown)[7] |
| Pan American Championship (Gi) | ||
 | 2009 | Middleweight (Brown)[8] |
| Pan American Championship (No-Gi) | ||
| 2009 | Middleweight (Black)[9] |
| 2009 | Absolute (Black)[9] |
Gunnar Lúðvík Nelson[1] (born 28 July 1988) is an Icelandic professionalmixed martial artist, currently competing in theWelterweight division of theUltimate Fighting Championship.[2] He is a black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which was awarded byRenzo Gracie after impressive results at the 2009IBJJF Pan-Ams and the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.[10] Nelson is a member of Mjölnir MMA[11] in Iceland, and SBG Ireland.[12][13]
Gunnar was born on 28 July 1988, inAkureyri in the north side of Iceland but has lived inReykjavík, the capital of Iceland, almost all his life from early childhood. He playedfootball andice hockey in his childhood years. At the age of 13, he started training inGōjū-ryūKarate and won the Icelandic JuvenileKumite Championship title in 2003, and again in 2004 and 2005. He took home medals in every karate tournament he participated in from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, he was chosen as Iceland's most promising up-and-coming karate talent of that year, when he was just 16. However, he gave up karate to train inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu andgrappling at age 17.Gunnar's father, Haraldur Dean Nelson (aka Halli Nelson), is of Anglo-American and Icelandic descent. He is also Gunnar's manager. Gunnar's mother, Guðrún Hulda Gunnarsdóttir Nelson, is Icelandic. Gunnar has one sibling, a sister named María Dögg Nelson, born in 1992 in Reykjavík.[14][15] María is an actress in their home country of Iceland.[16]
Gunnar began grappling in 2006, receiving hisBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)blue belt fromMatt Thornton of Straight Blast Gym International. From the age of 17, he continued his tutelage primarily under John Kavanagh, one of Thornton's students. Gunnar first met Kavanagh during one of his BJJ seminars at Mjolnir,[17] and theSBG Ireland owner would remain his head coach until this day. By 2008, Gunnar had already progressed far enough for Kavanagh to award him hisbrown belt,[18] but with Kavanagh not being a black belt for more than six years at the time, he was unable to award Gunnar his ownblack belt underIBJJF rules. Gunnar subsequently spent a period atRenzo Gracie Academy in New York to advance rank to black belt. Shortly after his arrival, he had competed for their team in various competitions, winning a silver medal in the 2009Mundials brown belt category.[7] He also won gold at the 2009Pan American Championship (Gi),[8] along with gold and silver (open class) in the 2009Pan American Championship (No-Gi).[9] At the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, Gunnar took 4th place in the absolute category where he defeated the much heavier and touted BJJ Black BeltsJeff Monson andDavid Avellan.[19]Gracie had already seen enough, and awarded him his black belt after less than a year with his academy.[20] In 2011, Gunnar was again offered a place in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship and had a good run (though not bringing home any medals), defeating the then present and twofold European Champion and multiple Finnish champion Marko Helen and the Brazilian and American champion and former World Champion Bruno Frazzato.[21]
Today, Gunnar is an instructor in his home club Mjolnir. He spends his time between there, SBG Ireland, Renzo Gracie Academy, and also SBG Mainline in Manchester.[21]
In May 2007, Gunnar fought inmixed martial arts for the first time, inCopenhagen, Denmark. The fight was against Danish fighter John Olesen. The judges ruled the bout a draw.
Gunnar won five more fights in the 16 months following his debut, in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark, before taking a break from the sport for almost two years. He returned atBAMMA 2: Roundhouses at the Roundhouse in February 2010 and defeated opponent Sam Elsdon via submission in the first round. He secured another first round victory in his next fight against Danny Mitchell atCage Contender 6 in Manchester, England before returning toBAMMA later that year. His next appearance was atBAMMA 4: Reid vs. Watson in September 2010 where he faced previously unbeaten British prospect Eugene Fadiora and won by submission in the first round.[22] In February 2012, Gunnar returned to MMA with a first round armbar submission win over Ukrainian fighter Alexander Butenko atCage Contender 12 in Dublin Ireland. In late 2012 Gunnar signed a multi-fight agreement with the UFC.[23]
Nelson signed a multifight contract with theUFC in July 2012.[24] He's the first fighter from Iceland to fight for the company.
Nelson was expected to make his promotional debut againstPascal Krauss on September 29, 2012, atUFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic.[25] However, Krauss was forced out of the bout with an injury (Rich Attonito was shortly linked to fighting Gunnar but he had weight concerns and also pulled out) and Gunnar was expected to faceDaMarques Johnson at acatchweight bout of 175 lb,[26]but his opponent could not make the required weight. The fight was contested at 183 lbs (Gunnar weighed in at 175 lbs).[27] Gunnar submitted Johnson via rear-naked choke at the 3:34 mark of the first round.[28]
Nelson was expected to faceJustin Edwards on February 16, 2013, atUFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald.[29] However, Edwards was forced to pull out of the bout citing an injury, and was replaced by returning veteranJorge Santiago.[30] Gunnar won the fight by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 30–27).[31]
Nelson was expected to faceMike Pyle on May 25, 2013, atUFC 160.[32] However, Gunnar pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced byRick Story.[33]
A year later Nelson returned to the UFC and facedOmari Akhmedov on March 8, 2014, atUFC Fight Night 37.[34] Gunnar won the fight via submission in the first round. The win also earned him his firstPerformance of the Night bonus award.[35]
Nelson was expected to faceRyan LaFlare on July 19, 2014, atUFC Fight Night 46.[36] LaFlare suffered an injury and was replaced byZak Cummings.[37] Gunnar won the fight via second round rear-naked choke. The victory secured his secondPerformance of the Night bonus award.[38]
Nelson next facedRick Story on October 4, 2014, in the main event atUFC Fight Night 53.[39] Gunnar lost the fight via split decision.[40]
Nelson was expected to faceJohn Hathaway on July 11, 2015, atUFC 189.[41] However, Hathaway pulled out of the bout on June 23 citing injury, and was replaced byBrandon Thatch.[42] Gunnar won the fight by submission due to a rear naked choke in round one after dropping Thatch with a left-right hand combo.[43]
Nelson was briefly linked to a fight withDemian Maia on October 24, 2015, atUFC Fight Night 76, but the bout did not materialize for that event as Maia was sidelined with astaph infection on his left leg.[44] The bout eventually took place on December 12, 2015, atUFC 194.[45] Gunnar lost the one-sided fight via unanimous decision.[46]
Nelson facedAlbert Tumenov on May 8, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 87.[47] He won the fight via submission in the second round, and earned his third Performance of the Night bonus.[48][49]
Nelson was expected to faceDong Hyun Kim on November 19, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 99.[50] However, on October 21, it was announced that Gunnar had pulled out due to an injury and the fight was off. Kim was rescheduled to faceTarec Saffiedine on December 30, 2016, atUFC 207.[51]
Nelson facedAlan Jouban on March 18, 2017, atUFC Fight Night 107.[52] After rocking Jouban with a punch, Gunnar secured a guillotine choke to win by submission in the second round.[53] He was awarded aPerformance of the Night bonus.[54]
Nelson facedSantiago Ponzinibbio on July 16, 2017, atUFC Fight Night 113.[55] He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.[56] At the post-fight press conference, Gunnar claimed that Ponzinibbio poked him in the eye during one of the earlier exchange and caused him see double: "And I really should have said something because I was seeing double for the rest of the fight. He caught me with a shot that I didn’t really see."[57] Ponzinibbio dismissed Gunnar's claim and stated, "I went there to knock him out and thank God it went as expected, I won by knockout. If (the eye poke) happened, of course it wasn’t intentional, but I watched the video again and didn’t see it."[58] However pictures from the fight clearly show that Ponzinibbio poked Gunnar's eyes number of times in the fight.[59] After the fight, Gunnar appealed his loss, as the referee had failed to stop the fight due to eye pokes under the Unified Rules of MMA; his appeal was denied by UFC.[60]
Nelson was expected to faceNeil Magny on May 27, 2018, atUFC Fight Night 130.[61] However, it was reported on April 28, 2018, that he was pulled from the event due to knee injury.[62]
Nelson facedAlex Oliveira on December 8, 2018, atUFC 231.[63] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke after opening a brutal cut with an elbow in round two.[64]
Nelson facedLeon Edwards on March 16, 2019, atUFC Fight Night 147.[65] He lost the fight via split decision.[66]
Nelson was expected to faceThiago Alves on September 28, 2019, atUFC Fight Night 160.[67] However, Alves pulled out of the fight in mid-September due to undisclosed injury,[68] and he was replaced byGilbert Burns.[69] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[70]
As the first fight of his new multi-fight contract, Nelson was expected to return from extended hiatus and faceCláudio Silva on March 19, 2022, atUFC Fight Night 204.[71][72] However, Silva pulled out in early March due to a knee injury[73] and he was replaced byTakashi Sato.[74] Gunnar won the fight via unanimous decision.[75]
Nelson was scheduled to faceDaniel Rodriguez on March 18, 2023, atUFC 286.[76] However, Rodriguez withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced byBryan Barberena.[77] Nelson won the fight via armbar submission in the first round.[78] He was awarded aPerformance of the Night bonus for the finish.[79]
After a two-year hiatus from competing, Nelson facedKevin Holland on March 22, 2025 atUFC Fight Night 255.[80] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[81]
Nelson was rescheduled to faceNeil Magny on July 19, 2025 atUFC 318.[82] However, two weeks prior to the event, it was reported that he had to withdraw from the fight due to a hamstring injury.[83]
Throughout his career, Gunnar has never engaged in extensiveweight cutting. His training weight is around 175–176 pounds (79–80 kg), necessitating only a 5–6-pound (2.3–2.7 kg) weight cut.[84][85] He has been a big proponent of instituting strict rules against weight cutting, arguing that the practice is dangerous to the fighters and counterproductive to the UFC, as it leads to fights being cancelled or fought atcatch weight.[85]
Gunnar fights and spars without wraps on his hands and uses small gloves. He has said that he would fight without any gloves if it were possible. He maintains that minimal wraps and gloves give him a better feel of what he's doing with his hands.[86] Wraps and gloves are intended to protect fighters' hands, but Gunnar notes that he has never broken his hands.[86]
Gunnar has three children, a son and two daughters. His son was born on May 30, 2014, whose mother is Icelandic artist, Auður Ómarsdóttir. Gunnar and his girlfriend, Fransiska Björk Hinriksdóttir, who is a clinical psychologist, have two daughters, born on October 31, 2019,[87] and August 13, 2023.[88]
| 26 matches | 19 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By submission | 13 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 19–6–1 | Kevin Holland | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady | March 22, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 19–5–1 | Bryan Barberena | Submission (armbar) | UFC 286 | March 18, 2023 | 1 | 4:51 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–5–1 | Takashi Sato | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | March 19, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 17–5–1 | Gilbert Burns | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier | September 28, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Loss | 17–4–1 | Leon Edwards | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal | March 16, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 17–3–1 | Alex Oliveira | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 231 | December 8, 2018 | 2 | 4:17 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Loss | 16–3–1 | Santiago Ponzinibbio | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio | July 16, 2017 | 1 | 1:22 | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Win | 16–2–1 | Alan Jouban | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson | March 18, 2017 | 2 | 0:46 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 15–2–1 | Albert Tumenov | Submission (neck crank) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski | May 8, 2016 | 2 | 3:15 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 14–2–1 | Demian Maia | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 194 | December 12, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–1–1 | Brandon Thatch | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 189 | July 11, 2015 | 1 | 2:54 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 13–1–1 | Rick Story | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story | October 4, 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Win | 13–0–1 | Zak Cummings | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandão | July 19, 2014 | 2 | 4:48 | Dublin, Ireland | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–0–1 | Omari Akhmedov | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa | March 8, 2014 | 1 | 4:36 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–0–1 | Jorge Santiago | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald | February 16, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 10–0–1 | DaMarques Johnson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic | September 29, 2012 | 1 | 3:34 | Nottingham, England | Catchweight (175 lb) bout; Johnson missed weight (183 lb). |
| Win | 9–0–1 | Alexander Butenko | Submission (armbar) | Cage Contender 12 | February 25, 2012 | 1 | 4:21 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 8–0–1 | Eugene Fadiora | Submission (neck crank) | BAMMA 4 | September 25, 2010 | 1 | 3:51 | Birmingham, England | |
| Win | 7–0–1 | Danny Mitchell | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Contender 6 | August 28, 2010 | 1 | 2:51 | Manchester, England | |
| Win | 6–0–1 | Sam Elsdon | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BAMMA 2 | February 13, 2010 | 1 | 2:30 | London, England | |
| Win | 5–0–1 | Iran Mascarenhas | KO (punch) | Adrenaline 3 | September 6, 2008 | 2 | 3:22 | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Win | 4–0–1 | Barry Mairs | TKO (punches) | Angrrr Management 14 | December 9, 2007 | 1 | 3:38 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–0–1 | Niek Tromp | TKO (punches) | Cage of Truth 1 | November 24, 2007 | 1 | 1:50 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 2–0–1 | Adam Slawinski | TKO (punches) | Ultimate Fighting Revolution 10 | October 6, 2007 | 1 | 2:30 | Galway, Ireland | |
| Win | 1–0–1 | Driss El Bakara | Submission (armbar) | Cage Rage Contenders: Dynamite | September 29, 2007 | 1 | 3:46 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Draw | 0–0–1 | John Olesen | Draw (split) | Adrenaline 1 | May 5, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 14 Matches, 8 Wins (4 Submissions), 6 Losses (1 Submission) | |||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 8-6 |  Alexandre Ribeiro | Points | ADCC World Championship | Absolute | September 25, 2011 |  Nottingham |
| Win | 8-5 | Bruno Frazzato | Points | ||||
| Loss | 7-5 | André Galvão | Points | -88 kg | September 24, 2011 | ||
| Win | 7-4 |  Marko Helen | Points | ||||
| Win | 6-4 | Bjarni Kristjánsson | Submission (guillotine choke) | Mjolnir Open | Absolute | September 3, 2011 | Reykjavík |
| Win | 5-4 | Brynjólfur Ingvarsson | Submission (armbar) | ||||
| Win | 4-4 | Mike Russell | Submission (rear naked choke) | Health & Fitness Expo | Superfight | November 20, 2010 | Reykjavík |
| Loss | 3-4 |  Azunna Anyanwu | Points | Grapplers Quest: Beast of the East | Absolute | March 20, 2010 | Caldwell,NJ |
| Win | 3-3 | Ronnie Mikvenski | Points | ||||
| Loss | 2-3 | Vinny Magalhães | Points | ADCC World Championship | Absolute | September 27, 2009 |  Barcelona |
| Loss | 2-2 | Alexandre Ribeiro | Submission (kneebar) | ||||
| Win | 2-1 | David Avellan | Submission (rear naked choke) | ||||
| Win | 1-1 | Jeff Monson | Points | ||||
| Loss | 0-1 | James Brasco | Referee Decision | -88 kg | September 26, 2009 | ||
Kano Jigoro →Tomita Tsunejiro →Mitsuyo Maeda →Carlos Gracie, Sr. →Helio Gracie →Rolls Gracie →Carlos Gracie, Jr. →Renzo Gracie → Gunnar Nelson
