Fighter profile

Gunnar Nelson

“Gunni”

Welterweight · UFC record 10-6 · 16 detailed UFC fights · Last fight Sat 22 Mar 2025

Ground HeavyControl Grappler

Fighter ratings

Ratings V2Rated

Striking (offense)71

Power61

Striking defense67

Takedown defense82

WrestlingProvisional measure85

Ratings V2 descriptive 0–100 scores (16 detailed fights; as of Sat 22 Mar 2025). Not win probabilities or rankings. Missing values stay unavailable.

Chin and Cardio · Frozen through October 17, 2026

R1 research scale

ChinEvidence: ESTABLISHED78.3

CardioEvidence: ESTABLISHED72.7

Source: R1 public_candidate_display · status: Research candidate · as of Sat 17 Oct 2026. Separate frozen research scale; fights after October 17, 2026 are not reflected.

About these ratings

Ratings are domain-specific descriptive scales. Equal point differences across different domains do not imply equal absolute skill differences.

Striking (offense) · Ratings V2: Ratings V2 striking-offense score built from recorded significant strikes landed per round, significant-strike accuracy and significant-strike differential.
Power · Ratings V2: Recorded knockdown and KO/TKO-win threat under the Ratings V2 contract (knockdowns per round, KO/TKO win rate); not literal measured punching force.
Striking defense · Ratings V2: Recorded strike avoidance (striking defense) and bounded absorption (strikes absorbed per round) under the Ratings V2 contract.
Takedown defense · Ratings V2: Recorded defense against incoming takedown attempts (takedown defense rate) under the Ratings V2 contract.
Wrestling · Ratings V2: Ratings V2 wrestling-offense score: recorded takedowns landed per round and takedown accuracy. Not ground control or complete grappling.
Chin · R1 research scale: Exposure-adjusted recorded knockdown resistance. This is not a direct biological measurement of chin, recovery, or injury resistance.
Cardio · R1 research scale: Recorded later-round striking activity and effectiveness retention. This is not a direct physiological fitness measurement.

Ratings V2 scores follow each fighter's latest recorded state; R1 research-scale scores are frozen through 17 Oct 2026. Recovery is separate metadata, not a rating. No combined rating exists.

Profile

Height: 180 cm (5'11")
Reach: 183 cm (6'0")
Stance: Switch
Age: 38

Last 3: L W W (most recent last)

Career statistics

Descriptive

16 detailed UFC fights · 36 rounds of recorded statistics. Exact totals from recorded UFC fights through Sat 22 Mar 2025; not opponent-adjusted and not model inputs.

Strikes landed8.1significant, per round

Strikes absorbed14.1per round

Striking differential-5.9per round

Takedown attempts1.17per round

Takedown defense68.4%of attempts stopped

Finish rate80.0%of UFC wins

Striking

Significant strikes landed per round: 8.1
Significant strikes absorbed per round: 14.1
Differential per round (landed − absorbed): -5.9
Striking accuracy: 61.2%
Striking defense (opponent strikes avoided): 48.8%
Knockdowns per round: 0.03
Target: head / body / leg: 76.0% / 16.1% / 7.9%
Position: distance / clinch / ground: 50.7% / 10.6% / 38.7%

Per-round figures divide recorded totals by rounds with statistics. Shares are of significant strikes landed.

Wrestling and grappling

Takedown attempts per round: 1.17
Takedowns landed per round: 0.61
Takedown accuracy: 52.4%
Takedown defense: 68.4%
Control time per round: 1:37
Submission attempts per round: 0.31
Reversals per round: 0.06

Attempts and landed takedowns are counted separately; accuracy is landed ÷ attempted.

Outcomes and durability

UFC record (W-L-D, NC): 10-6-0
Finish rate (wins by KO/TKO or submission): 80.0%
Wins by KO/TKO · submission · decision: 0 · 8 · 2
Losses by KO/TKO · submission · decision: 1 · 0 · 5
Knockdowns scored / suffered: 1 / 4
Average fight time: 10:47 (over 15 bouts)

Results as recorded by UFCStats. Fight time is elapsed time (completed rounds plus ending time) and includes draws and no-contests. These are outcomes, not biological measurements.

UFC fight history

Gunnar Nelson — most recent UFC fights
Date	Opponent	Result	Method	End	Event
Sat 22 Mar 2025	Kevin Holland	L	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady
Sat 18 Mar 2023	Bryan Barberena	W	SUB Armbar	R1 4:51	UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3
Sat 19 Mar 2022	Takashi Sato	W	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall
Sat 28 Sep 2019	Gilbert Burns	L	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier
Sat 16 Mar 2019	Leon Edwards	L	S-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal

Show all 16 UFC fights

Gunnar Nelson — earlier UFC fights
Date	Opponent	Result	Method	End	Event
Sat 8 Dec 2018	Alex Oliveira	W	SUB Rear Naked Choke	R2 4:17	UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega
Sun 16 Jul 2017	Santiago Ponzinibbio	L	KO/TKO Punches	R1 1:22	UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio
Sat 18 Mar 2017	Alan Jouban	W	SUB Guillotine Choke	R2 0:46	UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson
Sun 8 May 2016	Albert Tumenov	W	SUB Rear Naked Choke	R2 3:15	UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski
Sat 12 Dec 2015	Demian Maia	L	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC 194: Aldo vs McGregor
Sat 11 Jul 2015	Brandon Thatch	W	SUB Rear Naked Choke	R1 2:54	UFC 189: Mendes vs McGregor
Sat 4 Oct 2014	Rick Story	L	S-DEC	R5 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs Story
Sat 19 Jul 2014	Zak Cummings	W	SUB Rear Naked Choke	R2 4:48	UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs Brandao
Sat 8 Mar 2014	Omari Akhmedov	W	SUB Guillotine Choke	R1 4:36	UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs Manuwa
Sat 16 Feb 2013	Jorge Santiago	W	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC on FUEL TV: Barao vs McDonald
Sat 29 Sep 2012	DaMarques Johnson	W	SUB Rear Naked Choke	R1 3:34	UFC on FUEL TV: Struve vs Miocic

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