GUNNAR NELSON WILL aim to make a big leap forward in the UFC’s welterweight rankings in November.
The Icelandic star looks set to face Dong Hyun Kim when UFC Fight Night 99 takes place at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday, 19 November.
According to MMAFighting.com, the bout — which has yet to be officially confirmed — will serve as the main event for the organisation’s first show in the city since UFC 72 in June 2007.
Nelson (15-2-1), who regularly trains under John Kavanagh at Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, is coming off a very impressive second-round submission of Albert Tumenov in May.
The result gave the 28-year-old his sixth win in the UFC and saw him bounce back from a decision defeat to title contender Demian Maia last December.
Kim (21-3-1-1), who was due to fight Neil Magny last weekend at UFC 202 until he was forced out due to injury, is a 16-fight veteran of the UFC.
The only fighters to get the better of the 34-year-old South Korean are Maia, Carlos Condit and reigning champion Tyron Woodley, while he holds wins over the likes of Matt Brown, Nate Diaz, Siyar Bahadurzada and John Hathaway.
Nelson is currently ranked 12th in the welterweight division, one place behind Kim, whose last fight saw him defeat Dominic Waters via first-round TKO back in November.
