GUNNAR NELSON IS set to make his return to the octagon in December on the undercard of Max Holloway v Brian Ortega at UFC 231.
SBG’s Nelson is in line to face Alex “Cowboy” Oliviera on 8 December at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ESPN reported on Thursday evening.
The fight will be Nelson’s first since his controversial defeat against Santiago Ponzinibbio in July 2017, ending an absence of almost 17 months.
That first-round KO was the Icelandic welterweight’s third defeat under the UFC banner, leaving his pro record at 16-3-1 (7-3 UFC).
Nelson, 30, was due to make his comeback on the UFC’s card in Liverpool earlier this year before a knee injury forced his bout against Neil Magny to be shelved.
Oliviera (19-5-1, 2 NC) enters the fight coming off back-to-back wins against Carlos Condit and Carlo Pedersoli Jr already this year.
UFC 231 is headlined by the featherweight championship bout which sees Holloway defend his title against Ortega, while Valentina Shevchenko and Joanna Jedrzejczyk face off for the vacant women’s flyweight title.
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