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[Cat--Smasher]

Despite buzz surrounding Gunnar Nelson, UFC boss not looking to rush prospect | News

It's one of those things," White said at Saturday's UFC on FUEL TV 7 post-event press conference in London. "You don't rush the kid. He's a young kid. He just had his first three-rounder in the UFC, second fight here. He's got plenty of time. He's got nothing but time."

The 24-year-old Nelson has been competing on the European scene since 2007, and he finished eight of his first 10 opponents in the opening round. That success earned him a UFC call-up this past September, and he debuted in fine fashion with an opening-round submission win over DaMarques Johnson.

He returned to action on Saturday night against longtime veteran and former Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago. "The Sandman" provided a game opponent and refused to go away quickly, lasting until the final bell, albeit in losing fashion.

Nelson's performance was punctuating by his typical, somewhat awkward standup approach in addition to a pair of successful takedowns. White said he enjoyed the fight and said he was pleased to see the youngster get pushed for 15 minutes.

"You know what's interesting about him is when you watch him fight, he's so unorthodox," White said. "His hands are down by his waist, yet he's fast and explosive. He hits you from these crazy angles.

"I like that he went three rounds tonight. He's a young guy, just got into the UFC. It's good to let him get that experience, and he's got to get some more killer instinct, too."

It was easy to see Nelson gain confidence in the fight, especially as Santiago began to fade in later rounds. By the end of the fight, "Gunni" was happy to wave his opponent in and keep his chin exposed while offering up a few free shots. It might not have been the highlight-reel material some European pundits had hoped, but Nelson believes it was a beneficial outing.

"I'd been training a lot of standup for this fight, and I believe this was a necessary thing for my career," Nelson said. "The fight went to the ground a couple times, but I'm confident on the feet and I need the experience on the feet, so I'm very happy with this fight."

So what comes next? Well, nothing is certain just yet. Some believe the prospect is line for one of the division top contenders, but White urges caution and said there's no reason to push Nelson faster than necessary.

"Sometimes you get somebody that just blows on to the scene like a B.J. Penn and rips through everybody," White said. "And if you ask B.J. these days, he'll tell you that he probably got the title shot too fast."

[Fedorlei Gomipierre]

Nelson's standup yesterday started getting really goofy and it put him in some hotwater a couple of times and I think going forward, is going to have to be an area of focus for him.

I'd give him Erick Silva, John Hathaway or maybe even Tyron Woodley, his grappling prowess is so good that I think he's going to be a force, I'm just still questioning 170 as his home, I think he may have trouble with some of the bigger fighters....

[Sniggles]

I don't wanna see him fight Erick Silva yet cuz his standup isn't there but I think he could potentially control the fight with more ease than Fitch did.

Woodley would be a good matchup I'd like to see.

[deeznizzies]

i'd like to see him get the winner out of hardy/brown. it would be a name opponent, but not a fight that's too soon for him.

[TBEAR]

Originally Posted by Fedorlei Gomipierre

Nelson's standup yesterday started getting really goofy and it put him in some hotwater a couple of times and I think going forward, is going to have to be an area of focus for him.

....

Yeah his standup was very sloppy. Hands around your waist will equal getting put down for a nap at some point.

[cnlclink]

His stance is so clearly karate based but he needs baaadly to learn to move to the side. I was getting a tad grumbly watching him try to strike.