Grappling prodigy and number one 170 pound prospect Gunnar Nelson inks deal for UFC debut

July 12, 2012

In a signing over three years in the making five star welterweight prospect Gunnar Nelson (9-0-1) has brokered a deal with a major promotion. The UFC has signed Nelson and the 23 year old will likely make his debut at the promotion's September card in England. Nelson's rumored first UFC opponent is German welterweight Pascal Krauss (10-1).

A five star prospect since 2009, Nelson grappling chops are peerless when stacked against the majority of young MMA prospects. Born in Iceland Nelson martial arts career began with Karate as the prodigy won multiple national medals before turning his attention to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 17. In 2009 Nelson received his BJJ Black Belt from Renzo Gracie.

Nelson added to his grappling legend later in 2009 with gold medal performances in the Pan American Championships, both in the gi and no-gi competitions. The MMA world began to take notice when Nelson was 21 and he had a spectacular run through one of grappling's signature events the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships. Nelson took fourth place in the 2009 ADCC open weight bracket where he defeated highly touted black belts Jeff Monson and David Avellan in the process.

In 2007 Nelson made his MMA debut and after a split decision draw to start his career, the Team Mjolnir fighter has rattled off nine straight submissions or TKOs. Nelson last competed in February where he submitted Ukraine welterweight Alexander Butenko (18-6) in the first round.

As an athletic grappling wiz Nelson is the number one rated welterweight in MMA according to the 2012 ULTMMA.com unsigned prospect rankings. Nelson, an elite five star 170 pound prospect for the past three years, also tops the ULTMMA50 for the second consecutive year. The ULTMMA50 is a pound for pound top 50 rankings of the best unsigned prospects in the sport.