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Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story to headline Fight Pass show on Oct. 4 in Sweden
After four straight UFC wins, undefeated Gunnar Nelson (13-0-1) gets his first UFC main event on Oct. 4 when he faces Rick Story (17-8) in a five-round welterweight main event of the Oct. 4 show from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Nelson, from Iceland, is ranked as the No. 12 contender in the division, while Story, who has a 2010 win over champion Johny Hendricks, is ranked No. 15.
It will be UFC’s third show at the Ericsson Globe Arena, after selling out the previous two events, which were both built around Alexander Gustafsson. Gustafsson headlined the first show in 2012, and was scheduled to headline the second event last April before having to pull out due to a cut suffered shortly before the fight.
The show will be broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass in an afternoon time slot in North America, on a day that UFC will be holding two shows, with a televised event that evening on FS 1 from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“To headline a card in Sweden is huge for me,” said Nelson. “They are our neighbors and one of my favorite fighters is, of course, from Sweden (Gustafsson). They love my kind of style of fighting, and I am of course, Scandinavian, so we have a good connection. So overall, I think it’s going to be a great night–I am really excited about this opportunity. I am honored to fight in Sweden and to headline this card.”
Nelson, a decorated Jiu Jitsu competitor who took a gold medal in the 2009 No-Gi Pan American championships in the black belt division, is coming off a July 19 win over Zak Cummings in Dublin, Ireland. It was his third submission win in the UFC and ninth overall. He has only gone the distance twice in his career.
“Rick Story has fought many of the best fighters,” said Nelson. “He beat the current champion in Johny Hendricks. He is very experienced and is a very good wrestler. He is a tough opponent and I am happy to be fighting him.”
Nelson said he would be going to Las Vegas to train with teammate Conor McGregor for his fight with Dustin Poirier one week earlier, and then fly to Sweden for his fight the following Saturday.
“Oh man, this is a really exciting match-up,” said Story, who placed second in the 2006 NAIA collegiate wrestling championships while attending Southern Oregon University. “Stylistically, it’s going to be great because Gunnar is a grappler and an attacker. When it comes to fighting, you can’t ask for more than someone who comes at you.”
Story looked impressive in submitting Leonardo Mafra on July 16 in Atlantic City, N.J., in his previous fight.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on Aug. 22.
After four straight UFC wins, undefeated Gunnar Nelson (13-0-1) gets his first UFC main event on Oct. 4 when he faces Rick Story (17-8) in a five-round welterweight main event of the Oct. 4 show from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Nelson, from Iceland, is ranked as the No. 12 contender in the division, while Story, who has a 2010 win over champion Johny Hendricks, is ranked No. 15.
It will be UFC’s third show at the Ericsson Globe Arena, after selling out the previous two events, which were both built around Alexander Gustafsson. Gustafsson headlined the first show in 2012, and was scheduled to headline the second event last April before having to pull out due to a cut suffered shortly before the fight.
The show will be broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass in an afternoon time slot in North America, on a day that UFC will be holding two shows, with a televised event that evening on FS 1 from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“To headline a card in Sweden is huge for me,” said Nelson. “They are our neighbors and one of my favorite fighters is, of course, from Sweden (Gustafsson). They love my kind of style of fighting, and I am of course, Scandinavian, so we have a good connection. So overall, I think it’s going to be a great night–I am really excited about this opportunity. I am honored to fight in Sweden and to headline this card.”
Nelson, a decorated Jiu Jitsu competitor who took a gold medal in the 2009 No-Gi Pan American championships in the black belt division, is coming off a July 19 win over Zak Cummings in Dublin, Ireland. It was his third submission win in the UFC and ninth overall. He has only gone the distance twice in his career.
“Rick Story has fought many of the best fighters,” said Nelson. “He beat the current champion in Johny Hendricks. He is very experienced and is a very good wrestler. He is a tough opponent and I am happy to be fighting him.”
Nelson said he would be going to Las Vegas to train with teammate Conor McGregor for his fight with Dustin Poirier one week earlier, and then fly to Sweden for his fight the following Saturday.
“Oh man, this is a really exciting match-up,” said Story, who placed second in the 2006 NAIA collegiate wrestling championships while attending Southern Oregon University. “Stylistically, it’s going to be great because Gunnar is a grappler and an attacker. When it comes to fighting, you can’t ask for more than someone who comes at you.”
Story looked impressive in submitting Leonardo Mafra on July 16 in Atlantic City, N.J., in his previous fight.
