An apologetic Nelson had a heartfelt message for his fans following a knee injury that has killed his fight with Neil Magny.
Liverpool fans excited to see Gunnar Nelson fight Neil Magny when the UFC comes to town on May 27th were dealt a blow over the weekend after rumors circulated that Gunnar had suffered a knee injury that would take him off the card. Now we know for sure that the Icelandic welterweight is injured: Nelson himself confirmed the injury on his Facebook page.
“Unfortunately I have to withdraw from my fight against Neil Magny on May 27th in Liverpool,” he wrote. “Last weekend I injured my knee. I will undergo an operation right away and I´ll be out for 8-10 weeks. I’m sorry to my family, my opponent, my teammates, the fans and the UFC. This is a huge blow to me and I’m at a loss for words to describe the disappointment I am feeling.”
“I was really feeling up for this fight, the training camp was going great and everything was just perfect until this happened. When all is said and done this is the fight business and injuries are sometimes an unfortunate part of it given the physical rigors us athletes put our bodies through. I will keep on evolving as a fighter while I’m on the sidelines and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Nelson was last seen in action last July in Scotland, where he took a controversial KO loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio shortly after being poked in the eyes. The UFC is still looking for a replacement fighter for Neil Magny, who is coming off a decision win over Carlos Condit at UFC 219.