UFC 231 results: Gunnar Nelson splits Alex Oliveira with nasty elbow, submits him in instant bloodbath

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Welterweight wizard, Gunnar Nelson, was looking to rebound from a recent loss, stepping inside the Octagon tonight (Sat., Dec. 8, 2018) at UFC 231, which took place inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, against the always-tough Alex Oliveira, winner of two straight.

It was a close fight while it lasted, but then Nelson landed a devastating elbow from mount in the second round that split open Oliveira’s forehead and he then proceeded to submit him seconds later via rear-naked choke.

Oliveira got the action started, chipping away at Nelson’s lead leg with low kicks. Nelson closed the distance quick, tying up Oliveira along the cage and angling for a takedown, while the Brazilian drilled him with elbows to the temple. Nelson hoisted up Oliveira for a takedown, but he grabbed the fence immediately, forcing the referee to step in and warn him that he can’t do it again or will be deducted a point. On the restart, Nelson finished that takedown and immediately maneuvered to Oliveira’s back, locking in a body triangle and scoring with shots from behind. Oliveira was able to twist around into Nelson’s guard, where he dished out some heavy ground-and-pound. Nelson was able to briefly tie him up, but Oliveira resumed his punishment. Nelson was able to grab a heel and trip Oliveira, but he was unable to lock in anything before the opening round came to a close.

The pair almost immediately locked up along the cage to start the second stanza, fighting for position along the cage. It took nearly two minutes, but Nelson was finally able to score a takedown and mount Oliveira in the center of the Octagon; however, he didn’t do much with the dominant position — Oliveira was doing a great job of stifling his offense and submission set ups. With one minute remaining in the round, Nelson finally unleashed an elbow attack, one of which split Oliveira’s wig ... bad. With blood pouring from his forehead, Oliveira rolled to his side to avoid additional damage. Nelson locked up a rear-naked choke as he rolled, and as he squeezed it tight, blood spurted from Oliveira’s forehead like a fountain. Even before Oliveira could tap, the referee was pulling him off — it was a frightening, messy injury:

Leave it up to Nelson to calmly coast through a cage fight for nearly 10 minutes, land one hellacious skin-splitting shot, and end a fight in 30 seconds.

For complete UFC 231: “Holloway vs. Ortega” results, including play-by-play updates, click here.