Welterweight veterans Gunnar Nelson and Bryan Barberena tangled tonight (Sat., March 18, 2023) at UFC 286, which took place inside The O2 in London, England, streaming live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV).
Nelson — an Icelandic talent who has only ever really lost to elite competition — recently returned to the win column after a 2.5-year hiatus. Barberena, meanwhile, once again stepped up on short-notice when Daniel Rodriguez went down, illustrating that he’s simply an all-action fighter who is unconcerned with silly rankings and boring layoffs.
For all his grit and determination, though, “Gunni” is/was levels above “Bam Bam” (and most of the division) when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and despite a competitive first four minutes, it was only a matter of time before Nelson locked in a fight-ending submission (watch highlights).
Both fighters touched gloves in a mutual sign of respect, with Nelson getting into his Conor McGregor-like sideways karate stance almost immediately. Low kick from Barberena, followed by an inside kick, which knocked Nelson off his mark momentarily. Barberena barreled forward with a barrage, with Nelson calmly sliding backward out of danger. Nelson finally made his move at the three-minute mark, mushing Barberena up against the cage and locking in double under hooks. Barberena tried to reverse position, but the new-look, buff Nelson was just too string in the clinch. Nelson moved down to the single-leg takedown, elevated Barberena and followed him to the canvas. Barberena had wrist control, with Nelson draped on top of him. Nelson, from side control, dropped some short elbows and punches from top as Barberena struggled to push him away. Back elbow from Nelson, who is looking to isolated the right arm of “Bam Bam.” With 25 seconds on the clock, Nelson secured full mount, didn’t rush, and calmly freed Barberena’s right arm, laid back and scored a fight-ending armbar finish.
Nelson is just the picture of calm, dangerous confidence. Because of his self-imposed inactivity, he is not ranked int he Welterweight Top 15. But, that could all change this week after he just turned in a vintage “Gunni” performance.
Final result: Nelson def. Barberena via submission (armbar) at 4:51 of round one — HIGHLIGHTS!
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