Gunnar Nelson is back.
Nelson (17-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) meets Claudio Silva (14-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at the UFC’s “Fight Night” show on March 19, which is expected to take place at O2 Arena in London with a broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by by an Italian MMA journalist. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Nelson will return to action for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns in September 2019. The 33-year-old recently inked a new four-fight deal with the UFC and will aim to snap his losing skid when he faces Brazil’s Silva. Nelson’s last octagon win came in a submission over Alex Oliveira at UFC 231.
Silva, 39, will also look to rebound from a two-fight losing streak. After amassing a 14-fight unbeaten run, including a win over Leon Edwards, Silva suffered setbacks to James Krause, and most recently Court McGee at UFC Fight Night 188 in May.
With the addition, the UFC’s London card now includes:
- Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall
- Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento
- Luana Carolina vs. Molly McCann
- Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev
- Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
- Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich
- Arnold Allen vs. Dan Hooker
- Gunnar Nelson vs. Claudio Silva
