Bryan Barberena will step in on short notice against Gunnar Nelson.
With Daniel Rodriguez out, Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) now will face Barberena (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) at UFC 286 on March 18 at The O2 in London, promotion officials announced. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Daniel Rodriguez is out! ❌@GunniNelson will now face @Bryan_Barberena at #UFC286 in London! 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/uTea2uJv64
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 24, 2023
Barberena is coming off a second-round submission loss to former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 42 in December. Prior to that, “Bam Bam” was enjoying his best octagon run with three straight wins, including a TKO of ex-welterweight champ Robbie Lawler at UFC 276.
Nelson has split his past four appearances. In his most recent octagon outing, the 34-year-old returned from a two-and-a-half year layoff when he defeated Takashi Sato at UFC Fight Night 204 last March. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid.
With the change, the current lineup for UFC 286 includes:
- Champ Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman – for welterweight title
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Justin Gaethje
- Roman Dolidze vs. Marvin Vettori
- Bryan Barberena vs. Gunnar Nelson
- Luana Carolina vs. Joanne Wood
- Malcolm Gordon vs. Jake Hadley
- Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill
- Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein
- Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales
- Veronica Macedo vs. Juliana Miller
- Jafel Filho vs. Muhammad Mokaev
- Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jack Shore
- Yanal Ashmoz vs. Sam Patterson
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
