Icelandic grappling phenom Gunnar Nelson (10-0) marches to his second UFC bout as a clear favorite over Brazilian veteran Jorge Santiago (25-10). The two will lock horns in the Octagon at the UFC on Fuel TV 7 show on the 16th of February in London, England. Unibet.com has the undefeated Icelander at 1.50 (-200) and the underdog Santiago at 2.40 (+140).
Gunnar Nelson is 1-0 in the UFC after winning his debut in impressive way at the UFC on Fuel show in September in Nottingham, England. The icelandic talent made quick work of his opponent DaMarques Johnson and submitted him with a rear naked choke after three minutes of fighting. Nelson has taken all his ten wins by stoppages and the last six by submissions. For this fight the Icelander has worked hard with his crew at Mjölnir MMA and with visiting guests like Irish talent Conor McGregor who will make his UFC debut on the same card.
Former middleweight top dog Jorge Santiago comes back to the UFC as a late replacement for injured Justin Edwards. His last run in the promotion didn’t go too well as he was first outgrappled by BJJ ace Demian Maia and then knocked out cold by Brian Stann. After being released by the UFC, the Blackzillian’s fighter has won two fights and dropped down to welterweight division. Santiago has a black belt in BJJ and holds one of the highest finishing rates in the sport: 23 out of his 25 wins have come via finish. Experienced Brazilian holds notable wins over Mamed Khalidov, Kazuo Misaki and Siyar Bahadurzada among others.
This is a very interesting match up between an up-n-comer in Nelson and a true veteran in Santiago. Maia was able to hit takedowns on Santiago but couldn’t come close to submitting the crafty vet. Will Nelson be able to finish job on the ground? And if the fight stays standing, who will have the edge?
Below is Unibet’s full odds for the fight including Nelson by Submission. Click on the banner on top of this page to get an outstanding sign-up bonus from Unibet!
