Conor McGregor’s team mate Gunnar Nelson returns as he takes on Albert Tumenov in Rotterdam tonight. Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson against the man nobody wants to fight at welterweight Albert Tumenov. ‘Einstein’ comes in to this bout with five straight wins, ‘Gunni’ needs to get a win back after losing a decision to Demian Maia in December
Conor McGregor’s team mate Gunnar Nelson returns as he takes on Albert Tumenov in Rotterdam tonight. Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson against the man nobody wants to fight at welterweight Albert Tumenov.
‘Einstein’ comes in to this bout with five straight wins, ‘Gunni’ needs to get a win back after losing a decision to Demian Maia in December last year. They touch gloves and we are underway.
They get in to the feeling out process, Nelson with a nice jab and a straight, Tumenov looking a little stiff as he kicks low. AT eats a huge left hook from Gunni, Nelsonmoving so well with that SBG style karate-ish stance. Tumenov lands a nice right hand though, body kick by Nelson and this fight is really going well now. Straight right from Nelson misses and now a head kick, but a body shot rips in from Tumenov and lands hard. Nice right hand to the chin by Tumenov but Nelson scores a massive takedown.
Nelson has full mount almost instantly, Tumenov in big trouble right now. Gunnar looking to posture up, Einstein needs to use his wits well here, brutal elbow from Nelson clatters Tumenov’s head off the canvas, he seems stuck here and unable to escape or even regain position. He finally bucks but ends up munching a nasty elbow again, one minute left and Gunni is trying to cut Tumenov’s face up big time. Another nasty elbow but Tumenov finally escapes and they stand. HUGE left hook by Tumenov and a side kick, great round, 10-9 Nelson easily.
Round two is a go, Tumenov has a nasty haematoma on the forehead from those elbows. Gunnar smelling blood but he needs to remain cautious. A raw body punch from Tumenov lands yet again, and a low kick now, Nelson counters well and switches stances. Jab by Gunnar but he looks a little slow now. Nelson with a takedown, maybe he was playing possum, and he’s landed in side control here. Looks to mount and he gets it, Tumenov in big trouble yet again. I’d be surprised if ‘Einstein’ survives this Nelson on the back of Tumenov now.
Body triangle is locked in and now Tumenov is eating punches to the face, choke locks in, this is overm Tumenov taps and that’s that.
Gunnar Nelson submits Albert Tumenov by rear naked choke submission round two.
Reigning UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor has continued to repeatedly make headlines in the last few weeks after he went into a temporary ‘retirement’, and was pulled from his scheduled UFC 200 rematch with Nate Diaz by the promotion for not meeting their marketing requirements. Apparently, the Irishman wanted to focus solely on
Reigning UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor has continued to repeatedly make headlines in the last few weeks after he went into a temporary ‘retirement’, and was pulled from his scheduled UFC 200 rematch with Nate Diaz by the promotion for not meeting their marketing requirements.
Apparently, the Irishman wanted to focus solely on his training coming off of a loss instead of leaving his camp in Iceland and flying to America for press conferences and commercials.
The UFC was having none of it, and the highly anticipated rematch was scrapped from the blockbuster card.
A teammate of McGregor’s, UFC welterweight Gunnar Nelson, recently spoke on the situation, reiterating the idea that the “Notorious” one simply wanted to spend his time in the gym after suffering his first Octagon loss to Diaz at March’s UFC 196.
Nelson also confirmed that McGregor was indeed retired, although he foresees the Irishman returning sometime later this year:
“I think it kind of happened because he really wanted to focus on his training for this fight, and he felt like going over there [to the States] and doing all this media stuff was going to take away from his training,” Nelson said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “And I think that was the reason why he kind of had enough. Like he says, he’s done dancing like a monkey, and he felt like going over there was going to come down on his training. So he decided to retire, and he was retired.
“And then I think he kind of changed his mind and wanted to see if he could come back or make it through whatever was the deal. But I do believe he’s going to come back and fight. When exactly I’m not sure, but maybe 201 or 202. I would definitely put my money on that he’ll be back.”
As far as what the future holds for McGregor, UFC President Dana White made it clear that he will next defend his title against the winner of UFC 200’s interim title tilt between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.
The “Notorious” one, however, appears to have his eyes set on his rematch with Diaz which was once again set at 170 pounds.
Some have criticized McGregor for jumping so high up in weight, but Nelson admitted that the Irishman’s cut down to 145 pounds is ‘nasty’, adding that he hopes to see him fight at lightweight in the future:
“It’s really just up to him, whatever he wants to do,” he said. “I think that 145 is…I know he can go back down and defend his title, no problem. But I just think he doesn’t want to do that cut again. It’s a nasty one, and I agree with him. I understand that. So I think maybe I would like to see him going to the 155 before going all the way up to the welterweight. But you know, he can do whatever he feels like.”
What do you feel is the best fit for McGregor in terms of weight classes?
After shockingly being submitted by Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at UFC 196 earlier this month, it was widely thought that outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor would drop back down to 145-pounds to defend his title at UFC 200. However, recent reports have indicated that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz seems to be
After shockingly being submitted by Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout at UFC 196 earlier this month, it was widely thought that outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor would drop back down to 145-pounds to defend his title at UFC 200.
However, recent reports have indicated that a rematch between McGregor and Diaz seems to be the frontrunner to headline July 9’s blockbuster event from Las Vegas.
The Irishman’s coach even said that an announcement could be made within the coming days.
If the two do end up going at it again, Gunnar Nelson, a teammate of McGregor’s, is very confident that the “Notorious” one will fix his mistakes and pick the Stockton native apart:
“I think he will take his time and pick him apart a bit better,” Nelson told Daily Star. “I think Diaz won’t be able to get him down when Conor is on, and he reserves his energy and his balance is there.”
While Nelson did note Diaz’s unparalleled toughness, he also claimed that the Irish knockout artist should’ve finished the bout at UFC 196. With a few changes, “Gunni” sees McGregor getting the job done the second time around:
“I think the second (fight) Conor will pick him apart, but I think he’ll take a little bit more time doing it,” he continued. “Diaz is a tough guy and he’s used to being in there, but he (McGregor) should’ve put him away. But I think he can if he takes his time.”
While no official confirmation has been made, reports have stated that each man has verbally agreed to the bout.
Do you see a different outcome taking place in the rematch?
Two interesting members of the UFC’s welterweight division will square off this May at UFC Fight Night 87, as Albert Tumenov meets Gunnar Nelson.
Tumenov (17-2) has picked up five consecutive victories, including three knockouts, since a loss to Ild…
Two interesting members of the UFC’s welterweight division will square off this May at UFC Fight Night 87, as Albert Tumenov meets Gunnar Nelson.
Tumenov (17-2) has picked up five consecutive victories, including three knockouts, since a loss to Ildemar Alcantara in his Octagon debut. That run includes victories over Alan Jouban and Lorenz Larkin for the 24-year-old fighter.
Nelson (14-2-1), meanwhile, finds himself needing a solid performance to get back in the talk for Top-10 bouts. The 27-year-old from Iceland opened his career with a 13-0-1 record, but has gone just 1-2 over his last three, falling to Demian Maia and Rick Story.
The card, which goes down May 8 from the Ahoy Rotterdam in the Netherlands, will be highlighted by a heavyweight affair pitting Alistair Overeem against Andrei Arlovski. Stefan Struve is also set to challenge Antonio Silva, while officials recently confirmed Peter Sobotta-Dominic Waters for the event, as well.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
It almost feels likes the UFC panicked and made McGregor the next coach of The Ultimate Fighter the moment Frankie Edgar ran to the cage and challenged Conor for the belt. This way McGregor is kept busy, the Aldo mega-fight can be rebooked in the fall, and Frankie can’t exploit the fact that Conor has the takedown defense of a domino. Jose vs. Conor is the fight we all want to see, now more than ever, and there’s no way the UFC books anything else for their golden boy.
‘Money’ Mendes got a raw deal this weekend (well, other than the $500,000+ payday). He obviously has the skills to defeat McGregor, but with only two weeks to prepare, he tired quickly and made a couple mistakes that cost him dearly. If he ever hopes to fight for gold again he’s going to need to take the Jon Fitch route and build a lengthy win streak. Dennis Siver is still a ranked featherweight and a fight with the German seems like a good way for Chad to regroup.
Hi kids, do you like violence? Robbie Lawler is perhaps the only true embodiment of the overused phrase ‘warrior spirit’. His demonstration of sublime technical skill and raw, guttural aggression at UFC 189 was absolutely breathtaking. The pecking order at 170 is now starting to come into place and Robbie’s standing at the top is looking more and more sturdy. Lawler deserves some time off to heal after his Fight of the Year performance, therefore any combination of Condit-Hendricks-Woodley in a number one contender match makes sense to find his next challenger.
It’s astonishing to think that if Rory could have held on for another four minutes, he would have won the belt, considering this gif and this photo. While Macdonald didn’t assume his place as the heir apparent to GSP, he certainly proved his toughness and heart. He’ll be on the shelf for some time but so will fellow rhinoplasty patient Thiago Alves. This matchup would result in an exciting striking affair and the winner could add another ranked opponent to their resume.
If Dennis Bermudez is to be believed, he was offered an immediate rematch with Stephens by Dana White. Considering Jeremy missed weight badly and Bermudez was likely winning the fight before the late knockout, a rematch makes a lot of sense. If not, Hacran Dias or Tatsuya Kawajiri would both make for fun top 15 matchups.
Dennis Bermudez should fight: Jeremy Stephens
Dennis looked absolutely fantastic in his bout with Stephens and seemed to have turned a corner in his progression as a top ten featherweight. Then the next thing you know, ‘tiger!’ and he’s asleep on the canvas. I hope the UFC gives him the mulligan they offered and Bermudez can try and snatch back the win he was so close to nabbing this weekend.
‘Gunni’ looked incredible in his fight against Brandon Thatch and appears to have learned a lot from his first career loss. Pairing him with another heralded striker will allow us to see whether he truly has improved his hands to elite level or if the Thatch knockdown was just a lucky punch. Stephen Thompson fits the description and with his recent destruction of Jake Ellenberger this bout could easily headline a Fight Pass show.
In a battle of prospects usually somebody comes out looking like a dud. The hype train was at full speed when Thatch took on Benson Henderson in February and even in defeat many were still impressed by his showing against the former champ. Now we all need to take a step back, Thatch included, and temper our expectations. The loser of the upcoming Patrick Cote vs. Josh Burkman fight would make a great next opponent as they both have name value, solid veteran skills and savvy, but both represent a return to the mid-tier were Brandon has likely been relegated.
Despite an extremely rocky first round, Almeida managed to hold on to the title of ‘next big thing at bantamweight’ with an insane flying knee knockout of Brad Pickett. After such a dicey showing against veteran competition it might be better to pump the brakes with Almeida rather than feed him to the top 5. Johnny Eduardo will be returning from injury shortly and would make for a great battle of top-ranked heavy-handed Brazilians.
The move back to bantamweight was looking like a wise decision for Pickett until he took that knee to the face. Now 1-4 in his last five, the long-time British standout is looking to be in a downward spiral. Bruce Leroy has not found much success in the Octagon lately either. A loser leaves town (or at least relevancy) tilt between these two could round out any card in need of a fun action fight.
