A welterweight clash between Daniel Rodriguez and Gunnar Nelson appears set for UFC 286 in London
Gunnar Nelson has become a staple of UFC London cards as of late. The Icelandic submission specialist competed on UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall and UFC on ESPN+ 5: Till vs. Masvidal, picking up a win over Takeshi Sato and dropping a split decision loss to Leon Edwards respectively.
Daniel Rodriguez has made a name for himself with a fan-friendly style, and a consistently active fight schedule. ‘D-Rod’ signed for the UFC in 2020, and has already competed 9 times, amassing a record of 7-2 inside the promotion.
The news of this fight was shared by Rodriguez on an Instagram story, where he stated the following:
“Bout agreement signed. March 18 vs. Gunnar Nelson. UFC London.”
Gunnar Nelson will fight Daniel Rodriguez at #UFC286 on March 18th. (per @DRODUFC) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/5jT1MFjxdg
— Marcel Dorff
(@BigMarcel24) January 11, 2023
(@BigMarcel24)
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Gunnar Nelson will be added to the growing London card that Dana White previously claimed would be the ‘most bad a**’ card the UK had ever seen. However, whilst there are some fun fights on the card, there aren’t any ‘superstar’ matchups just yet.
Right now, the highest profile bout on UFC 286 is the middleweight clash between former title challenger Marvin Vettori and surging contender Roman Dolidze. An entertaining featherweight scrap between two brits also features, as Lerone Murphy takes on Nathaniel Wood.
Former Cage Warriors champions Jai Herbert and Jake Hadley look set to compete in front of their home crowds, taking on ?udovít Klein and Malcolm Gordon respectively. Joanne Wood is back, facing off against Luana Carolina, whilst a top 15 women’s bantamweight bout between Casey O’Neil and Jennifer Maia also features.