A great welterweight match-up has been added to the UFC’s return to London.
Gunnar Nelson is set for his return to the Octagon after a year away.
According to his upcoming opponent, Nelson and Daniel Rodriguez have agreed to fight at UFC 286. ‘D-Rod’ announced the pairing on his Instagram stories.
Following back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns, Nelson was sidelined for nearly three years with injuries. When he returned, ’Gunni’ earned a unanimous decision over Takashi Sato at UFC London this past March.
Rodriguez suffered his second UFC loss at UFC Vegas 64, where he was submitted by Neil Magny. Prior to that, the 36-year-old was on a four-fight win streak that included decisions over Mike Perry, Kevin Lee and Li Jingliang.
UFC 286 is scheduled for Sat., March 18, at the O2 Arena in London, England. No headliner is announced, but it is rumored that the trilogy between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman will get top billing. The current line-up is as follows:
Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
Nathaniel Wood vs. Lerone Murphy
Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina
Jake Hadley vs. Malcolm Gordon
Jai Herbert vs. ?udovít Klein
Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill
Veronica Macedo vs. Juliana Miller
Gunnar Nelson vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to the event as they become available in the coming months.