Nelson vs Barberena

Who won Nelson vs Barberena?

Gunnar Nelson beat Bryan Barberena by submission in the 1st round during the main card of UFC 286, on Saturday 18th March 2023 at o2 Arena in London.

The scorecards were announced in favor of the winner Gunnar Nelson.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 3 rounds in the Welterweight division, which meant the weight limit was 170 pounds (12.1 stone or 77.1 KG).

Nelson vs Barberena stats

Gunnar Nelson stepped into the octagon with a record of 18 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw, 4 of those wins coming by the way of knock out and 12 by submission.

Bryan Barberena made his way to the cage with a record of 18 wins, 9 losses and 0 draws, 11 of those wins coming by knock out and 2 by submission.

Gunnar Nelson's UFC record stood at 10-5-0, while Bryan Barberena's came in at 9-10-0.

The stats suggested Barberena had a massive power advantage over Nelson, boasting a 61% knock out percentage over Nelson's 22%.

If the fight went to the ground, their records suggested Nelson had a massive advantage over Barberena, boasting a 67% submission rate over Barberena's 11%.

Gunnar Nelson was the older man by 1 year, at 35 years old.

Barberena had a height advantage of 1 inch over Nelson. Despite this, both fighters had equal reach.

Nelson was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 3 fewer fights, and made his debut in , 14 years and 6 months earlier than Barberena, whose first professional fight was in 2009. He had fought 27 less professional rounds, 46 to Barberena's 73.

Nelson vs Barberena form

Gunnar Nelson had beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Bryan Barberena at UFC 286 on 18th March 2023 by submission in the 1st round at o2 Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Previous to that, he had beaten Takashi Sato at UFC Fight Night London on 19th March 2022 by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest at 02 Arena, London.

Going into that contest, he had lost to Gilbert Burns at UFC on ESPN+ 18 on 28th September 2019 by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest at Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Before that, he had been beaten by Leon Edwards at UFC on ESPN+ 5 on 16th March 2019 by split decision in their 3 round contest at 02 Arena, London, United Kingdom.

He had defeated Alex Oliveira at UFC 231 on 8th December 2018 by submission in the 2nd round at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada.

Bryan Barberena had stopped 1 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had been defeated by Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura on 16th March 2024 by submission in the 2nd round at UFC Apex, Las Vegas, United States.

Previous to that, he had lost to Makhmud Muradov at UFC Fight Night London – Aspinall vs. Tybura on 22nd July 2023 by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest at O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Going into that contest, he had been beaten by Gunnar Nelson at UFC 286 on 18th March 2023 by submission in the 1st round at o2 Arena, London.

Before that, he had been defeated by Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Holland on 3rd December 2022 by submission in the 2nd round at Amway Center, Orlando, United States.

He was victorious against Robbie Lawler at UFC 276 on 2nd July 2022 by knockout in the 2nd round at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Bryan Barberena had been fighting more than Gunnar Nelson.

Going to this contest, Gunnar Nelson had last fought 1 year and 1 month ago, while Bryan Barberena's last outing had been 1 month and 2 days ago.

Nelson's last 5 fights had come over a period of 5 years, 4 months and 10 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 1 year and 26 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 12 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 2.4 rounds on average.

Barberena's last 5 fights had come over a period of 1 year, 9 months and 16 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 4 months and 11 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 10 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 2 rounds on average.

What were the odds on Nelson vs Barberena?

Gunnar Nelson was a 27/100 (-370) favourite going into the contest, while Bryan Barberena made his way into the ring at 57/20 (+290) with oddsmakers.