MMA Calendar
Fighter

Gunnar Nelson

"Gunni"
19-6-1★ 5bonusesIcelandIcelandLast 5
Grappling 3-4
19-6-1 · 17 finishes · Full stats →
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CAREER SUMMARY

Gunnar Nelson holds a professional MMA record of 19-6-1. Gunnar Nelson has won 19 fights: 3 by KO/TKO, 14 by submission, 2 by decision. Of 6 career losses, 1 came by KO/TKO and 0 by submission. In the UFC, Gunnar Nelson lands 1.77 significant strikes per minute with 61% accuracy and averages 2.00 takedowns per 15 minutes. Gunnar Nelson also has 7 recorded Grappling bouts. Most recent fight: March 22, 2025. Tracked organizations: UFC.

Profile

Height
5'11"180 cm
Weight
170 lbs77 kg
Reach
72"183 cm
Stance
Switch
DOB
1988-07-28
Age
38
Nationality
Iceland
Birthplace
Akureyri, Iceland

Background

Credentials, amateur pedigree and camp

BaseKarateBJJNo-Gi Grappling
  • 20114th Place · ADCC · -88kg
  • 20094th Place · ADCC · absolute
  • 2009Silver · IBJJF Worlds · brown belt middleweight (gi)
  • 2009Champion · IBJJF Pans · brown belt middleweight (gi)
  • 2009Champion · IBJJF Pans Nogi · black belt medium heavyweight
  • 2009Silver · IBJJF Pans Nogi · black belt open weight
  • 2009Champion · New York International Open
  • 2009Black belt · BJJ · Renzo Gracie
  • 2008Champion · Hawaiian Open Championship
  • 2008Brown belt · BJJ · John Kavanagh
  • 2007Champion · Irish BJJ Open · absolute and purple belt
  • 2007Purple belt · BJJ
  • 2006Blue belt · BJJ · Matt Thornton
  • 2005Named Iceland's most promising up-and-coming karate talent, aged 16; elitesports.com dates it 2004 (see conflicts)
  • 2005Started in BJJ
  • Champion · Icelandic Juvenile Kumite Championship · junior
  • Champion · Icelandic BJJ Championship · open weight and weight class
  • Champion · Mjolnir Open
  • Black belt · Karate
  • Iceland national team · Karate · 2003-2005
  • AGE 13Started in Karate

Camp

  • Mjolnir MMA · Reykjavik, Iceland Instructor
  • SBG Ireland · Dublin, Ireland
  • Mjolnir · Iceland
  • Renzo Gracie Academy · BJJ · New York, US Former
  • SBG Mainline Manchester · No-Gi Grappling · Manchester, UK Former

Coaches

  • John Kavanagh · Head coach
  • Renzo Gracie · Grappling coach
  • John Danaher · Grappling coach
  • Matt Thornton · Grappling coach
  • Karl Tanswell · Grappling coach

Fight DNA

Submission Ace

UFCalendar's style model · Welterweight roster (258 fighters)

PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround
Submission Threat
98 · top 3% in division
Punch power95
Kick power79
Punch speed59
Kick speed62
Accuracy74
Takedowns96
Ground striking97
Submissions98
Chin93
Body strength68
Cardio61

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

By the numbers

UFC careerRecord: 10-6-0 · Source: UFCStats.com
Striking
Strikes landed1.77per min
61% accuracy
Strikes absorbed3.06per min
48% avoided
Grappling
Takedowns landed2.00per 15 min
52% success
Takedowns stuffed68%
Submission attempts1.0per 15 min
See every fight's numbers

Where they rank

All-time boards where Gunnar Nelson sits in the top 25.

Related fighters

Salary & career earnings

Disclosed purses, reported paydays and what we estimate Gunnar Nelson earns per fight.

Gunnar Nelson's salary & career earnings →

Career history

  1. LOSS
    vs Kevin Holland
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady· Mar 22, 2025· Welterweight· 19-6-1 vs 27-13
    UD
    R3 · 5:00
  2. WIN
    vs Bryan Barberena
    UFCUFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3· Mar 18, 2023· Welterweight· 19-5-1 vs 18-10
    SUB
    R1 · 4:51
    POTN
  3. WIN
    vs Takashi Sato
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Aspinall· Mar 19, 2022· Welterweight· 18-5-1 vs 16-5
    UD
    R3 · 5:00
  4. LOSS
    vs Gilbert Burns
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Cannonier· Sep 28, 2019· Welterweight· 17-5-1 vs 17-3
    UD
    R3 · 5:00
  5. LOSS
    vs Leon Edwards
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Till vs Masvidal· Mar 16, 2019· Welterweight· 17-4-1 vs 17-3
    SD
    R3 · 5:00
  6. WIN
    vs Alex Oliveira
    UFCUFC 231: Holloway vs Ortega· Dec 8, 2018· Welterweight· 17-3-1 vs 20-6-1
    SUB
    R2 · 4:17
  7. LOSS
    vs Santiago Ponzinibbio
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Nelson vs Ponzinibbio· Jul 16, 2017· Welterweight· 16-3-1 vs 25-3
    TKO
    R1 · 1:22
  8. WIN
    vs Alan Jouban
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs Anderson· Mar 18, 2017· Welterweight· 16-2-1 vs 15-5
    SUB
    R2 · 0:46
    POTN
  9. WIN
    vs Albert Tumenov
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski· May 8, 2016· Welterweight· 15-2-1 vs 15-4
    SUB
    R2 · 3:15
    POTN
  10. LOSS
    vs Demian Maia
    UFCUFC 194: Aldo vs McGregor· Dec 12, 2015· Welterweight· 14-2-1 vs 22-6
    UD
    R3 · 5:00
  11. WIN
    vs Brandon Thatch
    UFCUFC 189: Mendes vs McGregor· Jul 11, 2015· Welterweight· 14-1-1 vs 11-3
    SUB
    R1 · 2:54
  12. LOSS
    vs Rick Story
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs MacDonald· Oct 4, 2014· Welterweight· 13-1-1 vs 18-8
    SD
    R5 · 5:00
  13. WIN
    vs Zak Cummings
    UFCUFC Fight Night: McGregor vs Brandao· Jul 19, 2014· Welterweight· 13-0-1 vs 17-4
    SUB
    R2 · 4:48
    POTN
  14. WIN
    vs Omari Akhmedov
    UFCUFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs Manuwa· Mar 8, 2014· Welterweight· 12-0-1 vs 13-2
    SUB
    R1 · 4:36
    POTN
  15. WIN
    vs Jorge Santiago
    UFCUFC on FUEL TV: Barao vs McDonald· Feb 16, 2013· Welterweight· 11-0-1 vs 26-11
    UD
    R3 · 5:00
  16. WIN
    vs DaMarques Johnson
    UFCUFC on FUEL TV: Struve vs Miocic· Sep 29, 2012· Catchweight· 10-0-1 vs 16-12
    SUB
    R1 · 3:34
  17. WIN
    vs Alexander Butenko
    Cage Contender 12· Feb 25, 2012· Welterweight· 9-0-1 vs 17-6
    SUB
    R1 · 4:21
  18. WIN
    vs Eugene Fadiora
    BAMMA· Sep 25, 2010· 8-0-1 vs 9-1
    SUB
  19. WIN
    vs Danny Mitchell
    Cage Contender· Aug 28, 2010· 7-0-1 vs 8-2
    SUB
  20. WIN
    vs Sam Elsdon
    BAMMA· Feb 13, 2010· 6-0-1 vs 1-1
    SUB
  21. WIN
    vs Iran Mascarenhas
    Denmark Regional· Sep 6, 2008· 5-0-1 vs 0-4
    TKO
  22. WIN
    vs Barry Mairs
    Angrrr Management· Dec 9, 2007· 4-0-1 vs 0-1
    TKO
  23. WIN
    vs Niek Tromp
    Ireland Regional· Nov 24, 2007· 3-0-1 vs 5-2-1
    SUB
  24. WIN
    vs Adam Slawinski
    Ireland Regional· Oct 6, 2007· 2-0-1 vs 0-1
    TKO
  25. WIN
    vs Driss El Bakara
    Cage Rage· Sep 29, 2007· 1-0-1 vs 1-2-1
    SUB
  26. DRAW
    vs John Olesen
    Denmark Regional· May 5, 2007· 0-0-1 vs 0-0-1
    DRAW

Official UFC Ranking

Gunnar Nelson's standing in the official UFC rankings, tracked since 2013.

Current
Unranked
Peak
#8 Welterweight
First ranked
Mar 17, 2014
Times ranked
183

Welterweight

#1#5#10#1520152016201720182019Mar 17, 2014 · #14Apr 14, 2014 · #13Jul 21, 2014 · #12Oct 6, 2014 · #14Feb 16, 2015 · #15Feb 24, 2015 · #14Mar 16, 2015 · #15Mar 23, 2015 · #14Apr 13, 2015 · #13Apr 20, 2015 · #14Apr 27, 2015 · #13May 18, 2015 · #14Jun 15, 2015 · #15Jul 13, 2015 · #11Nov 23, 2015 · #12Dec 14, 2015 · #14Jan 4, 2016 · #15Jan 19, 2016 · #14Feb 1, 2016 · #15Feb 8, 2016 · #15May 10, 2016 · #13May 16, 2016 · #12May 31, 2016 · #11Jul 11, 2016 · #12Aug 3, 2016 · #11Aug 24, 2016 · #12Dec 14, 2016 · #11Jan 2, 2017 · #10Feb 1, 2017 · #9Jun 21, 2017 · #8Jul 18, 2017 · #11Sep 25, 2017 · #12Oct 23, 2017 · #13Apr 18, 2018 · #12Jun 26, 2018 · #13Sep 24, 2018 · #14Dec 12, 2018 · #12Mar 5, 2019 · #13Mar 20, 2019 · #14#14

View full UFC rankings →

UFCalendar Power Index rating

Current
1636▼7
Peak
1873Mar 18, 2017
Rated fights
26
150016501800200820112014201720202023May 5, 2007 · 1500Sep 29, 2007 · 1541Oct 6, 2007 · 1576Nov 24, 2007 · 1619Dec 9, 2007 · 1646Sep 6, 2008 · 1667Feb 13, 2010 · 1665Aug 28, 2010 · 1690Sep 25, 2010 · 1723Feb 25, 2012 · 1719Sep 29, 2012 · 1747Feb 16, 2013 · 1774Mar 8, 2014 · 1803Jul 19, 2014 · 1832Oct 4, 2014 · 1819Jul 11, 2015 · 1848Dec 12, 2015 · 1826May 8, 2016 · 1861Mar 18, 2017 · 1873Jul 16, 2017 · 1852Dec 9, 2018 · 1827Mar 16, 2019 · 1822Sep 28, 2019 · 1812Mar 19, 2022 · 1687Mar 18, 2023 · 1705Mar 22, 2025 · 16361636

See the full Power Index →

Frequently asked questions

When does Gunnar Nelson fight next?

Gunnar Nelson has no confirmed upcoming fight.

What is Gunnar Nelson's record?

Gunnar Nelson's professional MMA record is 19-6-1.

Who is Gunnar Nelson fighting next?

Gunnar Nelson's next opponent has not been announced.

Who did Gunnar Nelson fight last?

Gunnar Nelson most recently fought Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady on Saturday, March 22, 2025, LOSS (Unanimous Decision).

What weight class does Gunnar Nelson fight in?

Gunnar Nelson fights at Welterweight.

How many knockouts does Gunnar Nelson have?

Gunnar Nelson has 3 wins by KO/TKO and 14 wins by submission.

How many UFC bonuses has Gunnar Nelson won?

Gunnar Nelson has won 5 UFC post-fight bonuses: 5× Performance of the Night.

How tall is Gunnar Nelson?

Gunnar Nelson is 5'11" (180 cm) tall.

How much does Gunnar Nelson weigh?

Gunnar Nelson weighs 170 lbs (77 kg).

What is Gunnar Nelson's reach?

Gunnar Nelson has a reach of 72" (183 cm).

How old is Gunnar Nelson?

Gunnar Nelson is 38 years old (born Jul 28, 1988).

Where is Gunnar Nelson from?

Gunnar Nelson is from Iceland.