Gunnar Nelson would ‘love’ to fight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

UFC welterweight contender Gunnar Nelson would love to throw down with Stephen Thompson.

Gunnar Nelson is back on the road to title contention after picking picking up two straight wins since his loss to Demian Maia in 2015.

The stoic Iceland native last fought at UFC Fight Night 107, where he submitted Alan Jouban in the second round in front of a sold out, electric crowd at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Nelson’s coach, SBG Ireland’s John Kavanagh, suggested a bout against former welterweight title challenger and No. 1 ranked contender Stephen Thompson, and ‘Gunni’ loves the idea.

Thompson, 34, lost in his second championship fight against Tyron Woodley at UFC 209, losing via decision. The top-ranked talent previously fought ‘T-Wood’ to a draw at UFC 205.

Speaking to FOX Sports in a recent interview, the 28-year-old Nelson said he would love to prove his worth against Wonderboy, and also entertained a top contender’s bout against former champion Robbie Lawler.

“I would love to fight Wonderboy. That’s a fight people seem to want to see,” Nelson said, per Damon Martin. “That’s the fight that’s most hyped up right now. A fight with him, a good win over “Wonderboy” would be huge for my career. I would love that but as I said, I would fight any of them.

“Robbie Lawler is a big one as well. Any of them guys. To be honest, I understand that I could fight Robbie or “Wonderboy” and it would skip some steps to get that money and the gold and I like that idea. But ultimately, I believe I will fight all those guys. In what order is not the most important thing to me.”

With his win over Jouban at UFC London, Nelson climbed to No. 9 in the official UFC rankings and would catapult to the top five with a win over Thompson or Lawler. The Karate-based fighter joined the UFC in 2012 and is 16-2 as a professional fighter.

UFC welterweight contender Gunnar Nelson would love to throw down with Stephen Thompson.

Gunnar Nelson is back on the road to title contention after picking picking up two straight wins since his loss to Demian Maia in 2015.

The stoic Iceland native last fought at UFC Fight Night 107, where he submitted Alan Jouban in the second round in front of a sold out, electric crowd at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Nelson’s coach, SBG Ireland’s John Kavanagh, suggested a bout against former welterweight title challenger and No. 1 ranked contender Stephen Thompson, and ‘Gunni’ loves the idea.

Thompson, 34, lost in his second championship fight against Tyron Woodley at UFC 209, losing via decision. The top-ranked talent previously fought ‘T-Wood’ to a draw at UFC 205.

Speaking to FOX Sports in a recent interview, the 28-year-old Nelson said he would love to prove his worth against Wonderboy, and also entertained a top contender’s bout against former champion Robbie Lawler.

“I would love to fight Wonderboy. That’s a fight people seem to want to see,” Nelson said, per Damon Martin. “That’s the fight that’s most hyped up right now. A fight with him, a good win over “Wonderboy” would be huge for my career. I would love that but as I said, I would fight any of them.

“Robbie Lawler is a big one as well. Any of them guys. To be honest, I understand that I could fight Robbie or “Wonderboy” and it would skip some steps to get that money and the gold and I like that idea. But ultimately, I believe I will fight all those guys. In what order is not the most important thing to me.”

With his win over Jouban at UFC London, Nelson climbed to No. 9 in the official UFC rankings and would catapult to the top five with a win over Thompson or Lawler. The Karate-based fighter joined the UFC in 2012 and is 16-2 as a professional fighter.