Issue 118
August 2014
Undefeated Icelander Gunnar Nelson might be in the UFC's toughest division, but that just makes him more determined to shoot down all his 170lb rivals – despite his fear and loathing of fame
For the first time in a long time, the sun is shining down fiercely on Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. However, as the city's 200,000 inhabitants go about their day enjoying the rare warm summer weather, undefeated UFC welterweight Gunnar Nelson is working up a sweat of his own in the gym.
Much is on the mind of Nelson, as he prepares to enter the UFC's Octagon for the fourth time to face Zak Cummings in Dublin. And given that many are predicting he'll be Europe's first UFC 170lb champion, you could be forgiven for thinking his thoughts are already straying past his next opponent, if only momentarily.
But then that wouldn't be taking into account just how focused and single-minded Iceland's greatest ever mixed martial artist actually is.
“Obviously I'm aiming for the UFC welterweight title but I'm not thinking about it too much,” says Nelson, as he takes a break from training to speak exclusively with FO. “There are things right in front of me now that I'm trying to work out, and I'm enjoying doing that. And it's not as though my life would be over even if I were to win the title – just because I've completed that goal. No, there are goals every single day that I'm working on and they're all important. They're not done when I get that belt either, I just carry on having more goals.
“Once you get that belt you suddenly become a target and that's another type of pressure and a different type of lifestyle. However, you're still going to have these goals right in front of you that you're going to complete. That's just the way I live life.”
But it's not just 'Gunni's single-mindedness that drives him into the gym almost every day, even when the sun is blazing outside. It's also the level of competition he faces within the UFC 170lb weight class.
“The welterweight division is very exciting and very interesting because it's packed with talented people and good fighters,” he explains. “All of them have something different about them, too, which is even more exciting. It's not like everyone has the same skills and moves the same.
“They all make things work in their very own way which is why I train so hard – although I'd like to fight them all. You learn something from every single one of them and I'm very happy to be in this weight category because it's stacked with great fighters.”
Fighting on the same card as Nelson is SBG Ireland teammate Conor McGregor. Both men are trained by Ireland's first BJJ black belt, John Kavanagh. The Irish coach has helped mold McGregor and Nelson into two of MMA's most exciting fighters.
“A long time ago John came to Iceland to do a seminar here. That's how I got to know him,” recalls Nelson. “I'd just started doing jiu-jitsu at the time and I only really knew karate. He came over and showed me a bunch of great techniques. He was amazing on the ground.
“We rolled and of course I couldn't move, I couldn't even move my little finger if he didn't want me to. He told me I could go and train at his gym whenever I wanted and about a year later I went over to the gym and stayed with him for about two months; and then I had my first fight.”
He adds: “We just clicked really well as friends and that's why he's always been my main MMA coach. More than anything we've just been very good friends. Sometimes he'll come over here and train for a few months and then I'll go over there and train for a few months. It's a great relationship.”
That relationship, plus his spectacular karate skills and natural athleticism, have led Nelson to become Iceland's greatest fighter. And his exploits in the UFC have helped generate an interest in combat sports previously unheard of in the country of troublesome volcanos.
“The situation in Iceland has cleared up (in regards to having fights in the country),” explains Nelson. “I think having a good many competitors and the fact I'm on TV has helped. They're starting to show the UFC on TV here now, and not only the ones I'm in. They're showing all the big shows and that's been a huge step up for us.
“You notice that people are starting to talk about it. At first it was because a local guy was fighting, but now they're getting into all the fighters. Through us they were introduced to the sport and through the UFC they're starting to understand the sport. It's grown so much the last two years, I can't even believe it, if I'm honest.”
And with MMA's increased exposure has come, in some ways, an increased pressure for Nelson.
“Iceland is very small so people have known who I am for quite a while. You only need to be on TV once and everyone suddenly knows who you are,” he explains with a slight sigh. “You just deal with the fans and being noticed in the street. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's not. Sometimes you're not in the mood to talk to people, sometimes you're tired. It all depends on the people approaching you and when they approach you.
“That being said, this is my life and I've got to deal with it the best I can. I'm not particularly a fan of being famous. I'd probably like a calmer life and a little more privacy, but it's the cost I have to pay for being in this sport. To be honest, Iceland is small, so almost anyone who wants a picture has one already (laughs).”
But, despite his misgivings, Nelson's fame in his home country has led him to some interesting opportunities outside of fighting. Sponsored by the Icelandic games developer CCP, Gunnar was recently videoed rolling for an hour with some of the firm's games creators at CCP's recent fans' festival. The video then went viral and now Nelson has gained some new appreciators in the gaming world.
He explains: “CCP are one of my main sponsors and have been for over a year now. They put on the annual Eve Online Fanfest, which I'd meant to attend last year but then I got injured and couldn't.
“So I went along this year with a couple of guys from my gym in Iceland, some judo guys and a champion in glima, which is the Icelandic national sport – it's sort of like wrestling. It was an exhibition with 10 or 12 guys where we just rolled. They would try to get me and I would see how many I could go through. It was more of a show than anything else.”
And, surprisingly, Nelson's new-found fame saw him offered a role in biblical blockbuster Noah alongside Russell Crowe. Unfortunately he had to decline.
He recalls: “Yeah, I was offered a part in Noah because they're starting to do a lot of movies in Iceland now and my club Mjölnir is pretty involved with this.
"The guy who runs our club takes care of all the stunts and fight choreography in Icelandic movies. A lot of people from the club have a background in movies now and some of them were in Noah, while some were in the recent Thor movie as well.
“But it really sucks that I wasn't able to do that role because it would've been interesting. Unfortunately I had a fight coming up and had to concentrate on that.”
As disappointed as Nelson was at having to miss out on acting alongside Crowe, the 12-0 grappler is delighted that 2014 will mark the first time since 2012 he's been able to fight more than once in a year, following a series of injuries and a potentially life-threatening car crash in Iceland last year.
And perhaps it's that incident, in which a car Nelson was traveling in went off the road and rolled down a steep hillside before coming to rest at the edge of a fast-flowing river, has taught him to take life, and his career, at a slightly slower pace. He says: “It's always one fight at time for me. You can't plan too much ahead, although you can have dreams. For me it's about having one fight at a time and taking it from there. Although this upcoming Fight Night in Dublin is going to be amazing.
“I've been there so many times now that some Irish people think I'm one of theirs. And whenever I've fought there they've always been incredibly supportive. It's like my second home. It's going to be crazy, especially with Conor McGregor on the card as well.”
Nelson on the welterweight division
"The welterweight division is very exciting and very interesting because it's packed with talented people and good fighters. All of them have something different about them, too, which is even more exciting. It's not like everyone has the same skills and moves the same"
