London — Welterweight Gunnar Nelson returns to the octagon for the first time since March of 2023 when he takes on Kevin Holland at UFC London this Saturday.
That’s an awfully long layoff for a fighter who was once flirting with the top of the division, considered a hopeful if not a lock for title contention. Nelson (19-5-1) entered the UFC back in 2012 as an undefeated talent out of Iceland, training with the famed SBG Ireland. He ran up a 13-0-1 record before finally tasting defeat against Rick “The Horror” Story, then won three of his next four fights, with the loss coming to the well-known Demian Maia.
From there, things got a little bumpy. Losses to Santiago Ponzinibbio, Leon Edwards, and Gilbert Burns had Nelson looking to regroup— and he did. Posting back-to-back wins, almost exactly a year apart, Nelson seemed to be trending in the right direction. Then, silence.
“I’ve just been focusing on other things in life. Coaching, our gym back home, our family, stuff like that,” Nelson said during this week’s UFC London media day, addressing the reason for his absence. “It’s kind of, with time, you start putting yourself into second place, into third place, into fourth place. And that comes to the career and stuff. But we’ll see, maybe I’ll get a little busier.”
Despite the time away, or perhaps in part due to it, the mid-30s Gunnar Nelson is still growing as a fighter, and feeling physically sound.
“I feel great, my body feels great, I’m still improving. This camp was really good. Of course I’m 36 and you can definitely feel everything on your body, but if I compare this camp to the last one, I think this one is even better, and even better on my body,” stated Nelson. “It’s weird. You just learn as well, how to train, and train smart. You learn how to adjust to the changes that you go through.”
Nelson doesn’t have much planned past this Saturday, which has been the norm for his career. He’s not one to look too far ahead. But there’s a chance that he may be a little busier in 2025 than he has been the past few years.
“I’ve always been this way, like I said, maybe we’ll have a quick turnaround this time. I’m kind of feeling that more than last time anyway. But I try to focus on the stuff in front of me, so right now I’m just focused on Saturday.”
No doubt a strong performance from “Gunni” might hasten his return to action.
Watch the full UFC London media day appearance by Gunnar Nelson above. The event takes place on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
