Gunnar Nelson – Syndication Server

Video: Aside from the main and co-main bouts, who shined brightest at UFC 286?

There were a number of fighters who turned in solid performances at UFC 286, but who stood out among the rest down the card?

London was treated to a number of exciting moments and competitive battles throughout UFC 286.

The main event title fight rematch that saw [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] turn away [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] for the second straight time closed the show on a high note for the local audience. In the fight prior, the always-exciting [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] won another gritty bout against a top lightweight, outpointing [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag].

But aside from the top two bouts on the card, who stood out among the others?

Was it [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] and his spectacular armbar finish against Bryan Barberena? How about [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]’s submission win over Makwan Amirkhani in his featherweight debut, or maybe a promotional debut knockout from [autotag]Yanal Ashmoz[/autotag], who flattened Sam Patterson in the first round?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, and Brian “Goze” Garcia weigh in with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

Gunnar Nelson says RDA’s win was a cheat sheet to prep for Bryan Barberena at UFC 286

Gunnar Nelson reacts to his submission win over Bryan Barberena at UFC 286 in London.

LONDON – [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] knew where he’d succeed in his return to the octagon.

Nelson (19-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) took on a battle-tested Bryan Barberena (18-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC) on the main card of UFC 286 at The O2 in London. It was his first fight in a year, and though his absence was long, his performance was not.

Nelson submitted Barberena with a first-round armbar and said he knew the finish would be there given Barberena’s most recent performance against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.

“He showed some weakness in Bryan’s game,” Nelson said at the UFC 286 post-fight news conference. “I think Bryan knew that, and I’m sure he was working on them. I’m sure he was working his wrestling a lot.

“I actually tried that trip that RDA got him down with, and he defended it nicely. I think he was aware of it because we were crawling on the cage back and forth, and I think he was thinking about it a lot. I gave it a little go, and he defended it nicely.”

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With the win, Nelson now is on a two-fight winning streak. At 34, he’s unsure when or against whom he would like to return, and left his fighting career to a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m not really focused on names,” Nelson said. “Right now, I’m just going to go back home, focus on the team and stuff like that. We’ll see. Right now, I don’t know (when I want to return).”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

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UFC 286 post-event facts: Justin Gaethje’s insane bonus streak continues

Check out the numbers to come out of UFC 286, where Justin Gaethje made more history with another Fight of the Night effort.

The UFC hosted its fourth numbered event of the year on Saturday with UFC 286, which took place at The O2 in London and saw home country hero [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] compete in the main event.

Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) registered his first welterweight title defense when he edged rival [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) by majority decision in their trilogy bout, giving him a 2-1 lead in their series.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 286.

UFC 286 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Leon Edwards gets maximum money

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 286 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,500.

LONDON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 286 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 286 took place at The O2. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 286 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Yanal Ashmoz[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Jafel Filho[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3” – $266,500
“UFC Fight Night 221: Yan vs. Dvalishvili” – $194,000
“UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane” – $282,500
“UFC Fight Night 220: Muniz vs. Allen” – $126,000
“UFC Fight Night 219: Andrade vs. Blanchfield” – $158,000
“UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski” – $263,000
“UFC Fight Night 218: Lewis vs. Spivac” – $136,000
“UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill” – $359,500
“UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

UFC 286 results: Gunnar Nelson dominates on the mat, taps Bryan Barberena with armbar late in Round 1

Gunnar Nelson showed off his slick submission skills by tapping Bryan Barberena in the final seconds of the first round at UFC 286.

After a year away from the octagon, UFC welterweight [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] returned to remind everyone of his elite grappling skills.

On the main card of UFC 286, Nelson (19-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) stepped into the cage at The O2 in London to face Bryan Barberena (18-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC). It was a near-flawless performance for Nelson, who secured victory at 4:51 of the first round by way of a beautiful armbar.

Nelson’s wide-based karate stance caused Barberena to be a little hesitant to engage early in the fight, but landed a few solid leg kicks. When Nelson saw his opening to close the distance, he got into the clinch and took the fight to the ground.

From there, it was a clinic on the mat.

Nelson threatened a number of submissions including a straight armlock, an Americana, a kimura, and arm triangle choke – all while slowly transitioning into full mount.

After sneaking in a few short elbows in dominant position, Nelson committed to an armbar as time was running short in the round. The submission was locked in and it didn’t take long for Barberena to tap.

He's just too crafty on the ground 😮‍💨@GunniNelson with the armbar finish! #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/qDOp1FwtLm

— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023

Nelson entered Saturday’s contest a year removed from a unanimous decision win over Takashi Sato. Eight of Nelson’s 10 victories in the UFC have come by submission.

Barberena drops his second straight by submission. In his previous outing in December, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos submitted Barberena with a rear-naked choke. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak for “Bam Bam.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC 286 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

Gunnar Nelson def. Bryan Barberena at UFC 286: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Gunnar Nelson’s first-round submission win over Bryan Barberena at UFC 286 in London.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] at UFC 286 at The O2 in London. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 286 predictions: Who’s picking Leon Edwards to upset Kamaru Usman again?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 286 main card in London, featuring a Leon Edwards-Kamaru Usman welterweight title rematch.

	Edwards vs. Usman	Fiziev vs. Gaethje	Barberena vs. Nelson	Maia vs. O’Neill	Dolidze vs. Vettori
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 30-19	Usman (59%)	Fiziev (52%)	Nelson (62%)	O’Neill (73%)	Vettori (59%)
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 33-16	Usman	Gaethje	Barberena	O’Neill	Dolidze
Nolan King @mma_kings 30-19/em>	Usman	Fiziev	Nelson	Maia	Vettori
Matt Erickson @MattE 30-19	Usman	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Dolidze
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 30-19	Usman	Fiziev	Nelson	O’Neill	Dolidze
Simon Samano @SJSamano 29-20	Edwards	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Dolidze
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 29-20 2018, 2022 Champion	Usman	Fiziev	Barberena	O’Neill	Dolidze
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 28-21	Usman	Fiziev	Barberena	O’Neill	Vettori
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 27-22 2014 Champion	Usman	Fiziev	Nelson	O’Neill	Vettori
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 27-22	Usman	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Vettori
Brian Garcia @thegoze 26-23 2017 Champion	Usman	Gaethje	Barberena	O’Neill	Vettori
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 26-23	Edwards	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Vettori

The UFC is back in London for the third time in about a year this week with a welterweight trilogy rematch atop the card.

UFC 286 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) takes on former champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) in a trilogy title rematch. Usman had little issue with Edwards for nearly 25 minutes when they fought this past August, but Edwards pulled off a stunning late head-kick knockout to take the title.

Usman is a -250 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Edwards is +200. It’s not a shutout, though it is a blowout. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Usman ahead at 9-2.

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In the co-feature, [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) takes on former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC). Fiziev is more than a 2-1 favorite, but it’s Gaethje who has the slimmest possible picks lead at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) meets [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a welterweight bout. Nelson is the biggest favorite on the main card at -360, but he has just a 7-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (20-9-1 MMA, 5-5 UFC) takes on the unbeaten [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. O’Neill is a -170 favorite – the smallest favorite on the main card. Yet she is our closest thing to a unanimous pick at 10-1.

And to open the main card, former middleweight title challenger [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (18-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) fights [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Vettori nearly is a 3-1 favorite at the betting window, but he only has a 6-5 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Usman (59 percent), Fiziev (52 percent), Nelson (62 percent), O’Neill (73 percent) and Vettori (59 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

Bryan Barberena explains why UFC 286 fight with ‘legend’ Gunnar Nelson a big deal

Bryan Barberena is excited for the opportunity to fight Gunnar Nelson at UFC 286.

LONDON – [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] is excited about the opportunity to fight [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] at UFC 286.

Barberena (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) stepped in for Daniel Rodriguez to take on Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Having fought Matt Brown, Robbie Lawler and Rafael dos Anjos in his past three fights, Barberena puts Nelson in a similar class to his recent opposition.

“Actually, I pumped about the name,” Barberena said at Wednesday’s UFC 286 media day. “After the last fight and everything, I was bitter about it, bitter about my performance. I went right back to work and I think this fight kind of lines up perfectly for what I want to display and what I want to show.

“Gunnar is a legend in himself, especially in Europe and all over here. Now they’re bringing in another legend, legend vs. legend fight, so that’s exciting. And honestly I think for the fanbase and everything, I think this is a bigger fight than the original one.”

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Nelson has only fought once in the past four years, but Barberena doesn’t think his inactivity will have an impact on his performance.

“I’m familiar with layoffs as well so I expect him to be the best version of himself,” Barberena said. “I expect the best Gunnar, I think he’s going to come out firing, I think he’s going to come out ready to extend his win streak and make a run for the top again. He’s a legend and I think he’s still held high in the fighting community, in the world, and in the rankings. So, it’s a big deal, it’s a big fight, and like I said, I’m ready to go.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

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UFC 286’s Gunnar Nelson: Conor McGregor will ‘kick the sh*t’ out of Michael Chandler with proper prep

Gunnar Nelson expects longtime friend and training partner Conor McGregor to shine in his UFC return.

LONDON – [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] expects longtime friend and training partner [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] to shine in his octagon return against Michael Chandler.

Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who returns to competition Saturday at UFC 286 when he meets Bryan Barberena (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in a welterweight bout on the main card of the event at The O2 in London, said he hasn’t spent much time in the gym with McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in recent years.

The pair still communicates over Instagram and messages while McGregor does “Conor things,” Nelson said, but he’s confident McGregor will win his highly anticipated comeback fight with Chandler later this year – as long as he trains effectively.

“It’s an interesting one,” Nelson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 286 media day Wednesday. “If Conor trains properly and is in shape, he’ll kick the sh*t out of him.”

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While McGregor readies for his return to action, Nelson is focused on his own career. He originally was scheduled to fight Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 286, but the opponent changed to Barberena on short notice. Nelson said he’s happy with the switch, especially because of Barberena’s fighting style.

“I didn’t really mind too much,” Nelson said. “It was nice of them to bring in another southpaw. I like that. I’m well used to opponents being changed, and I think more often than not it’s happened. So I don’t really get too engaged with my first opponent. ‘Bam Bam’ is a stud. He’s a veteran and I’m really happy he stepped up.”

Nelson, who enters the fight tied for the most submission victories in UFC welterweight history with six, thinks he can take advantage of the matchup and add another stoppage result to his octagon resume.

“He’s exciting,” Nelson said. “I like his fights. He goes in there and he’s not going to try to win on points. He’s going to try to finish the fight. It’s exciting to watch him fight, and I’m excited to share the octagon with him.

“I don’t think this one is going to the judges. I’m going to try to finish him as early as possible, but if not, second or third round. We’ll see.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

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UFC 286 pre-event facts: Rafael Fiziev’s stats could spell trouble for Justin Gaethje

Check out the numbers behind UFC 286, including Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3, Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev and more.

The UFC brings a numbered event back to England for the first time since October 2016 on Saturday with UFC 286, which takes place at The 02 in London with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

A highly anticipated trilogy bout for the UFC welterweight title takes center stage in the main event. After avenging a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) from December 2015 with a shocking head kick knockout at UFC 278 in August, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) will attempt to make his first title defense in the rubber match on his home soil.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 286.

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