Issue 149

December 2016

Few fighters in the UFC have a style that’s as distinctive as Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson. With his unorthodox striking and a fluid ground game he’s one of the most dangerous welterweights in the world.

From September 2008, Nelson took an 18-month break from MMA to improve his grappling by training across the globe. Notable fighters he shared the mat with during that time include Renzo Gracie, Urijah Faber and BJ Penn.

After beginning his martial arts education by training goju-ryu karate as a teenager, Nelson’s focus switched to grappling to prepare himself for a career in the cage.

Once the man from Mjölnir MMA in Reykjavík turned pro, he became one of the most in-demand prospects in the world. And when he finally joined the UFC in 2012, he quickly demonstrated his full range of skills.

Now, after using his striking to set up submissions for five of his six Octagon wins, ‘Gunni’ shares the secrets behind his success.

How did your traditional martial arts roots prepare you for MMA?

I started doing karate when I was young – straight after ice hockey. I was around 14 or 15. Very early I realized I was only interested in sport karate – the kumite, where you’re free-spar.

It’s not full-contact, but it’s still sparring.

I met a guy in karate and he introduced me to MMA and grappling stuff. I basically knew right away this was what I’d been looking for the whole time.

This is the real s**t. I started doing that, stopped doing karate – well, I still do a lot of the techniques from karate and it’s definitely shaped my style, but I started focusing on grappling more and did that for a few years.

I was able to get my black belt in 2009.

When did you decide you wanted to transition to MMA?

It was always the plan. I think I did my first MMA fight when I was a blue belt. After that, I knew I wanted to do this. Going into grappling tournaments – taking time off from MMA – was always something that was going to be a temporary thing.

Focusing so much on grappling, I basically fell in love with jiu-jitsu, but it was a phase. I was looking to MMA.

That was always my main sport and it’s always been like that. I always wanted to mix my striking in with my grappling. I just love being able to do all of it.

How much were you able to bring to MMA from karate?

I’m still surprised with the stuff. Even now, I’m bringing in stuff that I used to do back in the day. I think a lot of it is with the right kind of guidelines and the right frame, a lot of karate movements and the basics from karate are extremely effective in MMA.

The footwork, moving around quick, blitzing techniques, the kicks – a lot of the ideas about the timing, drawing someone in, timing your punches. There are a lot of things from karate that shape my striking.

Does that give you an advantage over other fighters?

Most strikers are more kickboxer, Thai-boxer, heavy, flat-footed, walk-forward (style) – just give and receive.

Not many guys are light-footed, so it definitely gives you an advantage. It’s getting bigger now. The younger guys coming up now are starting to realize jumping around and being light on your feet is very important.

Is there more of an emphasis on that in your gym?

Definitely. We teach everything. We teach them to be light on their feet, we teach them the movement and the karate footwork, but we also teach boxing and that footwork. We try to let people form their own style.

We let them figure out where they want to use what and let them create their own stuff.

Is there anything from BJJ or karate that’s difficult to adapt to MMA?

Of course. There are lots of things that work strictly in karate or jiu-jitsu that won’t work in MMA. You have a very low-percentage chance of pulling them off. You wouldn’t waste too much time on trying to work it.

Having said that, there’s a time and place for almost any technique, but some are more effective than others, definitely.

You realize pretty early what suits you in an MMA fight and what to leave behind, but maybe you’ll pick it up years later. Sometimes that happens as well.

How do you split your time between coaches and gyms?

I have a young boy now, so I’ve been trying to spend a lot more time back home. In the past I could maybe leave for three months, come back for a few weeks and maybe leave again. But now it’s a little more complicated.

I take short trips somewhere and train.

How important is it to get experience from different coaches?

It’s important to travel, but it’s important to have a home and a base.

A lot of times I would improve a lot from traveling – training with different people, training with good guys from different places with different styles – but a lot of times, I wouldn’t improve that much until I got home and it all kind of settled in.

Home was where I improved the most. But that wouldn’t have happened as much if I wouldn’t have traveled and took in all the information, spent all the time training, experiencing all that. Going back home – it all kind of sinks in there.

Is there anywhere else you want to travel for training?

Yeah, I’m open to travel and training with a lot of people. I’ve definitely settled down a bit. I like my team – I’ve got a great situation going – and then maybe it’s a matter of having some guys over.

I’ve met a lot of people over the years that are good friends and good training partners. I visit them and they visit me and we train together. When I have a fight coming up I’ll hit them up and see if they’re able to come and train with me and help me out.

That’s a situation that’s very fortunate for me. There are many coaches and fighters that would be interesting to work with. I haven’t been keeping my eye on anyone specific but I’m up for it.

BJJ JOURNEY

After taking up BJJ in 2005, Nelson earned his blue and purple belts from Straight Blast Gym founder, Matt Thornton. John Kavanagh promoted him to brown belt.

After ‘Gunni’ defeated two larger opponents – Jeff Monson and David Avellan – to finish fourth in the ADCC absolute bracket, Renzo Gracie presented him with a black.