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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is currently searching for a new opponent to fight Gunnar Nelson, now that Thiago Alves has withdrawn from their UFC Fight Night 160 mixed martial arts (MMA) event on Sat., Sept. 28, 2019 inside Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, on ESPN+.
That’s according to a report from MMA Junkie.
The the oft-injured (and sometimes lightweight) “Pitbull” was felled by an infection that also resulted in kidney stones, Alves told MMA Fighting, a setback that is only expected to last a month. The 23-14 Brazilian is coming off a decision loss to the unheralded Laureano Staropoli back in May.
Nelson (17-4-1) was expected to become the next big thing at 170 pounds, thanks to his lethal blend of karate and jiu-jitsu, as well as his 4-0 start to his UFC career. Unfortunately, “Gunni” has been unable to keep that momentum going, mustering up a 4-4 record in the years that followed, including a split-decision loss to Leon Edwards last March.
Hopefully the promotion can scrounge up a decent name to keep Nelson aboard.
UFC Copenhagen will be headlined by the middleweight showdown between rising prospects Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier. Elsewhere on the card, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Ovince Saint Preux hook ‘em up at 205 pounds.
See the current UFC Copenhagen fight card and line up here.