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Gunnar Nelson Record, stats and next fight

19-6-1 (W-L-D)

4Wins by knockout
13Wins by submission
12First round finishes
Gunnar Nelson
Photo : Haraldur Dean Nelson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Stats and record

26Pro fights
89%Finish rate
16UFC fights
0Title fights
5Performance bonuses
1Losing streak

Wins by method

KO / TKO4 (21 %)
Submission13 (68 %)
Decision2 (11 %)

Losses by method

KO / TKO1 (17 %)
Submission0 (0 %)
Decision5 (83 %)

Profile

Age
38 years
Born
July 28, 1988
Birthplace
Akureyri, Iceland
Height
5'11" (180 cm)
Weight
170 lbs (77 kg)
Reach
72" (183 cm)
Stance
Orthodox
Division
Welterweight
Fighting out of
Reykjavík, Iceland
Team
Mjölnir SBG Ireland
UFC debut
September 29, 2012

Fight history

  1. Loss

    vs Kevin Holland

    UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady · Mar 22, 2025 · London, England

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  2. Win

    vs Bryan Barberena Bonus

    UFC 286 · Mar 18, 2023 · London, England

    Method
    Submission (armbar)
    Round
    1
    Time
    4:51
  3. Win

    vs Takashi Sato

    UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall · Mar 19, 2022 · London, England

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  4. Loss

    vs Gilbert Burns

    UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier · Sep 28, 2019 · Copenhagen, Denmark

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  5. Loss

    vs Leon Edwards

    UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal · Mar 16, 2019 · London, England

    Method
    Decision (split)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  6. Win

    vs Alex Oliveira

    UFC 231 · Dec 8, 2018 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    2
    Time
    4:17
  7. Loss

    vs Santiago Ponzinibbio

    UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio · Jul 16, 2017 · Glasgow, Scotland

    Method
    KO (punches)
    Round
    1
    Time
    1:22
  8. Win

    vs Alan Jouban Bonus

    UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson · Mar 18, 2017 · London, England

    Method
    Submission (guillotine choke)
    Round
    2
    Time
    0:46
Show 18 earlier fights
  1. Win

    vs Albert Tumenov Bonus

    UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski · May 8, 2016 · Rotterdam, Netherlands

    Method
    Submission (neck crank)
    Round
    2
    Time
    3:15
  2. Loss

    vs Demian Maia

    UFC 194 · Dec 12, 2015 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  3. Win

    vs Brandon Thatch

    UFC 189 · Jul 11, 2015 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    2:54
  4. Loss

    vs Rick Story

    UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story · Oct 4, 2014 · Stockholm, Sweden

    Method
    Decision (split)
    Round
    5
    Time
    5:00
  5. Win

    vs Zak Cummings Bonus

    UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandão · Jul 19, 2014 · Dublin, Ireland

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    2
    Time
    4:48
  6. Win

    vs Omari Akhmedov Bonus

    UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa · Mar 8, 2014 · London, England

    Method
    Submission (guillotine choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    4:36
  7. Win

    vs Jorge Santiago

    UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald · Feb 16, 2013 · London, England

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  8. Win

    vs DaMarques Johnson

    UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic · Sep 29, 2012 · Nottingham, England

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:34
  9. Win

    vs Alexander Butenko

    Cage Contender 12 · Feb 25, 2012 · Dublin, Ireland

    Method
    Submission (armbar)
    Round
    1
    Time
    4:21
  10. Win

    vs Eugene Fadiora

    BAMMA 4 · Sep 25, 2010 · Birmingham, England

    Method
    Submission (neck crank)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:51
  11. Win

    vs Danny Mitchell

    Cage Contender 6 · Aug 28, 2010 · Manchester, England

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    2:51
  12. Win

    vs Sam Elsdon

    BAMMA 2 · Feb 13, 2010 · London, England

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    2:30
  13. Win

    vs Iran Mascarenhas

    Adrenaline 3 · Sep 6, 2008 · Copenhagen, Denmark

    Method
    KO (punch)
    Round
    2
    Time
    3:22
  14. Win

    vs Barry Mairs

    Angrrr Management 14 · Dec 9, 2007 · London, England

    Method
    TKO (punches)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:38
  15. Win

    vs Niek Tromp

    Cage of Truth 1 · Nov 24, 2007 · Dublin, Ireland

    Method
    TKO (punches)
    Round
    1
    Time
    1:50
  16. Win

    vs Adam Slawinski

    Ultimate Fighting Revolution 10 · Oct 6, 2007 · Galway, Ireland

    Method
    TKO (punches)
    Round
    1
    Time
    2:30
  17. Win

    vs Driss El Bakara

    Cage Rage Contenders: Dynamite · Sep 29, 2007 · Dublin, Ireland

    Method
    Submission (armbar)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:46
  18. Draw

    vs John Olesen

    Adrenaline 1 · May 5, 2007 · Copenhagen, Denmark

    Method
    Draw (split)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00

Analysis

Gunnar Nelson (“Gunni”) is a UFC welterweight from Iceland.

His professional record stands at 19 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw. Of those wins, 4 came by KO or TKO, 13 by submission and 2 on the scorecards, a 89% finish rate.

He made his promotional debut on September 29, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic against DaMarques Johnson (win). He has since gone 10-6 in 16 UFC bouts.

In his most recent fight, on March 22, 2025 at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady, he lost to Kevin Holland by unanimous decision.

His career includes 5 performance bonuses.

He stands 180 cm, has a 183 cm reach and fights out of an orthodox stance.

He trains at Mjölnir SBG Ireland out of Reykjavík, Iceland.

Data updated on September 28, 2026. Record and measurements cross-checked against official results and Wikipedia. Text written by the MMA Official editorial team.

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