UFC Dublin adds Ryan LaFlare against Gunnar Nelson in battle of unbeatens

When the UFC makes its return to Dublin, Ireland, it’ll stake two of the welterweight division’s best prospects against each other.

On Tuesday the UFC confirmed an Icelandic television report that Gunnar Nelson (12-0-1, 3-0 UFC) will battle Long Island’s Ryan LaFlare (11-0, 4-0 UFC) on July 19 at Dublin’s O2 Arena as part of UFC Fight Night 46. The card is expected to stream on UFC Fight Pass.

The wrestler LaFlare is coming off a unanimous decision victory over John Howard on the April 11 Abu Dhabi card. All four of his UFC victories have come via decision. The Icelandic fighter Nelson, on the other hand, submitted Omari Akhmedov (guillotine choke) at UFC Fight Night 37 in London on March 8, which earned him a “performance of the night” honor. In his UFC debut in 2012, “Gunni”  choked out DeMarques Johnson in Nottingham, England. Both fighters have been dominant in their young UFC careers.

Though no headliner has been pegged as of yet for UFC Dublin, the card is rapidly filling in. Tom Lawlor (9-5-1, 5-3 in UFC) tweeted out that he will be facing Swedish fighter Ilir Latifi (8-3-1, 1-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout, while flyweights Phil Harris (22-12-1, 1-3 in UFC) and Ireland’s Neil Seery (13-10, 0-1 UFC) are slated to meet as well. In another flyweight bout, Ian McCall and Brad Pickett, who were originally scheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night 37, have been rebooked for Dublin.

The UFC is hoping that Ireland’s own Conor McGregor will be cleared to fight on the card as the main event, pending his recovery from knee surgery, which he underwent in September.

When the UFC makes its return to Dublin, Ireland, it’ll stake two of the welterweight division’s best prospects against each other.

On Tuesday the UFC confirmed an Icelandic television report that Gunnar Nelson (12-0-1, 3-0 UFC) will battle Long Island’s Ryan LaFlare (11-0, 4-0 UFC) on July 19 at Dublin’s O2 Arena as part of UFC Fight Night 46. The card is expected to stream on UFC Fight Pass.

The wrestler LaFlare is coming off a unanimous decision victory over John Howard on the April 11 Abu Dhabi card. All four of his UFC victories have come via decision. The Icelandic fighter Nelson, on the other hand, submitted Omari Akhmedov (guillotine choke) at UFC Fight Night 37 in London on March 8, which earned him a “performance of the night” honor. In his UFC debut in 2012, “Gunni”  choked out DeMarques Johnson in Nottingham, England. Both fighters have been dominant in their young UFC careers.

Though no headliner has been pegged as of yet for UFC Dublin, the card is rapidly filling in. Tom Lawlor (9-5-1, 5-3 in UFC) tweeted out that he will be facing Swedish fighter Ilir Latifi (8-3-1, 1-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout, while flyweights Phil Harris (22-12-1, 1-3 in UFC) and Ireland’s Neil Seery (13-10, 0-1 UFC) are slated to meet as well. In another flyweight bout, Ian McCall and Brad Pickett, who were originally scheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night 37, have been rebooked for Dublin.

The UFC is hoping that Ireland’s own Conor McGregor will be cleared to fight on the card as the main event, pending his recovery from knee surgery, which he underwent in September.