The UFC's return to Ireland now has a main event.
Gunnar Nelson will square off with 'The Stun Gun' Dong Hyun Kim in a welterweight class for the main event of the UFC's first Belfast event since 2007, on November 19th at the SSE Arena.
Nelson, a dual product of John Kavanagh's SBG Ireland gym and Mjolnir in his native Iceland, owns a 15-2-1 record in his professional career up to this point. 'Gunni' is one of the most popular fighters in this country, owing to his association with the SBG camp, as well as his status as a long-term training partner of Conor McGregor. Nelson comes into this bout on the back of arguably the best performance of his career, a one-sided shellacking of the highly-regarded Albert Tumenov in Rotterdam last May.
HERE WE GO!! @fighterdhk vs. @GunniNelson is your #UFCBelfast main event!! Ticket updates: https://t.co/VnsLimSKNt pic.twitter.com/PX1STc0Wf6
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 1, 2016
South Korean fighter Dong Hyun Kim very much lives up to his 'Stun Gun' moniker. He boasts a career record of 21-3-1, with well-known names like Nate Diaz, Matt Brown, Erick Silva and John Hathaway among his list of former victims. Kim has been defeated just once in the last four years, a knockout loss to current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
The UFC last appeared in Belfast all the way back in June 2007 with a card that featured the likes of Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin and Clay Guida, laying the groundwork for a sport which would become incredibly popular on both sides of the Irish border.
Several more fighters with ties to Ireland are expected to be announced for the event. Neil Seery is a likely contender, as is another SBG fighter Peter Queally who could make his UFC debut on the card. Joe Duffy would also be another welcome addition.
Tickets for UFC Belfast will go on sale at 10am on September 23.
Meanwhile, here's a chance to see Nelson's handiwork from his last fight in Rotterdam once more.
