Coach John Kavanagh makes interesting suggestion for Gunnar Nelson’s next fight

Last night, in the co-main event of the UFC’s latest trip to London, England, Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson scored an impressive win over the ever dangerous Alan Jouban.

This win, which occurred after a fairly dominant first round, saw Nelson put his American foe on roller skates, before chasing him to the mat, where he locked up a guillotine choke for the win.

With this win, Nelson reminded the world why he’s considered one of the best welterweights on earth, and reaffirmed that he is indeed deserving of a spot in the division’s top-10. Having done so, he’s now ready for another big step up the ladder.

There are, of course, plenty of interesting options available for him to that end. John Kavanagh, who serves as Nelson’s coach, however, has one particular opponent in mind for the Icelandic star’s next fight: recent title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Though Nelson is known for his grappling, he also possesses and extremely effective karate striking arsenal – just like Wonderboy. This, Kavanagh believes, is the appeal of this potential showdown.

Whats next for gunni? How about this summer we find out who the real karate kid is in the @ufc ? #GunnivWonderboy pic.twitter.com/mvffhFSKWi

— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) March 19, 2017

With his defeat of Jouban, Nelson moves onto a two-fight win-streak, as he defeated the dangerous Albert Tumenov in his second most recent bout. Prior to this defeat, he experienced just one of his two career losses, losing a decision to top welterweight contender Demian Maia. The Icelandic fighter’s overall record currently sits at 16-2-1 overall.

Thompson, meanwhile, recently lost a very close decision to reigning welterweight king Tyron Woodley. Prior to that, he battled Woodley to a similarly competitive draw back in November. Having failed to take Woodley’s title twice, he’ll now look for the chance to get back on track. A fight with Nelson would provide him with the opportunity to do just that. Thompson would enter this prospective scrap with a 13-2-1 overall record.

Are you interested in a Gunnar Nelson vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson fight? If so, who do you think wins? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/19/2017.