After a year away from the octagon, UFC welterweight Gunnar Nelson returned to remind everyone of his elite grappling skills.
On the main card of UFC 286, Nelson (19-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) stepped into the cage at The O2 in London to face Bryan Barberena (18-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC). It was a near-flawless performance for Nelson, who secured victory at 4:51 of the first round by way of a beautiful armbar.
Nelson’s wide-based karate stance caused Barberena to be a little hesitant to engage early in the fight, but landed a few solid leg kicks. When Nelson saw his opening to close the distance, he got into the clinch and took the fight to the ground.
From there, it was a clinic on the mat.
Nelson threatened a number of submissions including a straight armlock, an Americana, a kimura, and arm triangle choke – all while slowly transitioning into full mount.
After sneaking in a few short elbows in dominant position, Nelson committed to an armbar as time was running short in the round. The submission was locked in and it didn’t take long for Barberena to tap.
He's just too crafty on the ground 😮💨@GunniNelson with the armbar finish! #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/qDOp1FwtLm
— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023
Nelson entered Saturday’s contest a year removed from a unanimous decision win over Takashi Sato. Eight of Nelson’s 10 victories in the UFC have come by submission.
Barberena drops his second straight by submission. In his previous outing in December, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos submitted Barberena with a rear-naked choke. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak for “Bam Bam.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 286 results include:
- Gunnar Nelson def. Bryan Barberena via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:51
- Jennifer Maia def. Casey O’Neill via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marvin Vettori def. Roman Dolidze via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jack Shore def. Makwan Amirkhani via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:27
- Chris Duncan def. Omar Morales via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Yanal Ashmoz def. Sam Patterson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:15
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Jafel Filho via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:32
- Lerone Murphy def. Gabriel Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Christian Duncan def. Dusko Todorovic via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 1:52
- Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:01
- Joanne Wood def. Luana Carolina via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein declared majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
- Veronica Hardy def. Juliana Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
