THE WELTERWEIGHT BOUT which was due to headline the UFC’s return to Irish shores next month is off.

An injury has forced Gunnar Nelson to pull out of his clash with Dong Hyun Kim, which was the scheduled main event for UFC Fight Night 99 at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday, 19 November.

Sources confirmed to The42 the news of Nelson’s enforced withdrawal, which was first reported last night by MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani.

Nelson (15-2-1), a 28-year-old from Iceland, is an extremely popular fighter among Irish fans due to his association with Dublin’s Straight Blast Gym.

Nelson, who’s currently ranked 12th, was hoping to move further up the pecking order in the 170lbs division with a win over Kim, who’s ranked 10th.

According to MMAFighting.com, a hastily-arranged middleweight rematch between Gegard Mousasi and Uriah Hall will now act as the main event in Belfast in four weeks’ time.

Mousasi, who defeated Vitor Belfort earlier this month, suffered a shock TKO loss to Hall when they met in September 2015.

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