Gunnar Nelson Definitely Left His Mark on Alex ‘Cowboy’ Oliveira… The Brazilian Fighter Took an Absolutely Vicious Elbow to the Head in their UFC 231 Fight, Requiring 29 Stitches…
Ouch. That had to have hurt. Gunnar Nelson fought Alex Oliveira on the main card of UFC 231 in Toronto and the Icelandic fighter left his mark on his Brazilian foe. ‘Gunni’ is one of the few fighters in the SBG Ireland crew who has been able to gain the respect of fans outside of the shadow of Conor McGregor.
Going back to his roots with Iceland’s Mjolnir MMA (although John Kavanagh still led his Jiu-Jitsu training and was in his corner), Nelson looks absolutely shredded. He had to overcome adversity after the rangy Oliveira managed to reverse a takedown and began to rain down absolutely brutal ground-and-pound.
However, Nelson turned the fight around in the second round with a monstrous elbow to the head that split open ‘Cowboy’s’ head like a plum. The gaping wound gushed blood, and then the Icelander sunk in the rear-naked choke. A look at the scar post-stitches shows just how bad it was.
Savage
It was really one of the messiest facial injuries we’ve seen in a long time. The amount of blood that flooded from ‘Cowboy’s’ head was absolutely gnarly, and it looked like the referee was going to end the fight even if Nelson hadn’t of managed to get the submission so quickly.
Despite that, Oliveira was able to keep smiling. It was an unfortunate setback for the Brazilian fighter who has had an up-and-down career in the UFC. His problem is consistency as he seems to win two, then lose one, win two, and lose another one. This is another dent – literally – in his journey towards a title shot. However, at the age of 30, he has time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WahYHSi6K3U
Comeback
Meanwhile, Nelson hadn’t fought since 2017, when he got knocked out by Paulo Borrichina in controversial circumstances. He took a couple of gouges to the eye which totally affected the course of the fight. Nelson was quick to point out that ‘Cowboy’ had also dropped heavy elbows on the back of his head at the start of this fight which disorientated him.
John Kavanagh tweeted after the fight:
“With his updated approach to training there’s not many who can do 1 round with him unless they eye gouge, grab fence or elbow back of head. This time next year he’ll be fighting for the belt. I predict dese tings.”
With his updated approach to training there's not many who can do 1 round with him unless they eye gouge, grab fence or elbow back of head. This time next year he'll be fighting for the belt. I predict dese tings. https://t.co/cJcsXKfDF1
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) December 9, 2018
Rankings Rise
This was a win that Nelson absolutely needed. He definitely has elite fighter potential, but with a couple of defeats along the way, he needs to remain consistent and stabilize a place in the top ten of the welterweight division. A fight against British fighter Leon Edwards could make sense for both men, potentially opening the door to bigger things.
It remains to be seen whether he’ll ever get a title shot. Nelson definitely has the fanbase behind him, so he just needs to establish consistency and stay fit long enough to get his momentum going properly. He’s definitely not a fun fight for anybody.
