Gunnar Nelson

Gunnar Nelson is an Icelandic professional mixed martial arts fighter and former Judo champion. He currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) welterweight class and is widely regarded as one of the best grapplers in the sport.

Nelson was born on July 28, 1988 to parents Sigrún Jakobsdóttir and Hans Nelson, both of whom were involved in wrestling from a young age. His father was an Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling while his mother participated competitively at the national level, but ultimately decided to focus on her studies instead of pursuing a career as a wrestler. After graduating high school Gunnar followed in his parent’s footsteps by competing internationally at various judo events around Europe and earning medals for Iceland at several different competitions, including becoming Icelandic National Champion several times over.

In 2009 he made his professional MMA debut and fought around Europe before eventually signing with UFC in 2012. With a record of four wins against two losses leading up to his UFC contract he immediately went on to make waves within the organization with notable victories against top ranked opponents such as Josh Koscheck, Omari Akhmedov and Cathal Pendred amongst others during his early years with the promotion that subsequently earned him Fight Night bonuses for performance of The night awards three separate occasions. As well as having some impressive finishes inside the octagon he is also known for having some great grappling exchanges when fighting which has allowed him to win via submission five times throughout his career so far including submissions over Dennis Siver & Santiago Ponzinibbio which many have deemed particularly impressive due to their ability levels being higher than most other fighters within that weight category at that time making them more difficult opponents than they may seem on paper .  

    In 2016 Gunnar established himself firmly within championship contention after defeating Alan Jouban via unanimous decision earning himself another fight night bonus for performance of The night award along with it . This bout marked Nelson’s fourth consecutive victory inside octagon since returning back from hiatus due an injury forcing him out action for little over year between 2014-2015 . Since then , he has gone onto compete against Demian Maia , Alex Oliveira & Neil Magny among other members world renowned 170 lbs divisions all whom are considered top ten contenders or champions respectively .

Despite not having any major title belts yet under name , Gunnar Nelson holds numerous accolades throughout MMA community ranging from being highly respected combatant amongst peers respectably participating Inside cage while also showing excellent sportsmanship outside it regardless whether winning or losing particular contest ; moreover He is also currently recognized even by casual fans who recognize value showcasing martial arts skills through competitive environment like Ultimate Fighting Championship provides us each week worldwide                                                                 which speaks volumes about character fan favorite athlete like “Gunni” possesses so consistently these days …..