UFC Copenhagen gets its first official fight as Gunnar Nelson battles ‘The Pitbull’

UFC Copenhagen, which is scheduled September 28, finally has its first fight — days after tickets went on sale.

This fight, which was recently announced by the promotion on Twitter, will occur in the welterweight division, where long-time Icelandic contender Gunnar Nelson will battle a former title challenger in Brazil’s Thiago Alves.

First fight for #UFCCopenhagen! @GunniNelson vs @ThiagoAlvesATT is official.

Get your seats 🎟 https://t.co/MeGiwpSBZc pic.twitter.com/COo6ZLmieP

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 26, 2019

In this compelling UFC Copenhagen style clash, the grappling specialist Gunnar Nelson will look to rebound from a recent split decision loss to Leon Edwards, which occurred at UFC London in March. In his next most recent fight, the Icelandic star, who has trained extensively alongside Conor McGregor, authored a bloody submission defeat of Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira. Nelson is currently a strong 17-4-1 overall.

“The Pitbull” Thiago Alves, on the other hand, will take to the cage at UFC Copenhagen with an overall record of 23-14. The Brazilian striker last fought at UFC 237, when he gave up a decision to Laureano Staropoli. In his next most recent outing, he defeated Max Griffin by split decision in a thrilling, back-and-forth war.

At present, no other bouts have been confirmed for this UFC Copenhagen card, which will mark the UFC’s first sojourn into Denmark. That being said, surging middleweight contender Jack Hermansson has been angling for a spot on the card, and could well get his wish if the UFC can track down a willing dance partner for him. The promotion also has a deep pool of Scandinavian talent to draw from.

Who do you think wins this newly announced welterweight fight between Gunnar Nelson and Thiago Alves?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/26/2019.