Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Gunnar Nelson after getting knocked out in Glasgow?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC Fight Night 113 blew the roof off SSE Hydro this past weekend (Sun., July 16, 2017) in Glasgow, Scotland.

For play-by-play coverage and full results of the Fox Sports 1-televised UFC Fight Night 113 event click here.

Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Joanne Calderwood, who suffered her second straight loss, this time at the hands of Cynthia Calvillo (see it again here).

And Stevie Ray, who was left counting stars after Paul Felder knocked him out in the very first round — thanks to a knee to the face and some well-placed follow up strikes (watch it). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 24 hours removed from the show?

Gunnar Nelson.

“Gunni” is as talented as they come. He can grapple with the best of them, he has a decent striking game and his submission game is world class. When he puts it all together, Nelson has proven to be a tough out.

Unfortunately for the Icelandic mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, he can’t seem to get over the hump and win the big fight. After starting off his Octagon career with four straight wins, Nelson faced off against Rick Story — who at the time was considered a legit contender at 170 pounds — in his first headlining bout. He lost the fight via split decision.

After disposing of Brandon Thatch in his following bout, Nelson went on to get schooled by Demian Maia. Gunnar got back on track to win two straight vs. Albert Tumenov and Alan Jouban to score back-to-back wins for the first time in two years. He looked to earn win number three against Santiago Ponzinibbio in his second headlining opportunity, only to get starched in 82 seconds (see it here) forcing him to start from scratch, yet again.

Though Nelson seems to think an accidental eye poke played a big role in the loss.

“I thought I was doing really well in he beginning. In the first exchange I caught him with an uppercut and he poked me in the eye,” said Nelson in the post-fight presser.

“And I really should have said something because I was seeing double for the rest of the fight. He caught me with a shot that I didn’t really see,” he added. “They eye is really sore now but it’s just one of those things. I really should have said something and I don’t know why I didn’t. Maybe I would have seen that shot that caught me, but it is what it is, you know,” he added.

Still, the loss is a devastating one for Gunnar, who just can’t seem to get over the hump and get that big win that could eventually catapult him into title contention. But, not all is lost for Gunnar, as he is still only 28 years of age, so he has plenty of time to put it all together.

Up next, I’d like to see him take on Erick Silva, another fighter who was once a highly-touted prospect expected to do big things in the sport, but has yet to live up to those expectations. As for as not being able to win that big fight, well, the same thing was often said about this guy.