Ryan LaFlare vs. Gunnar Nelson, Several Other Bouts, Revealed for UFC Fight Night Dublin
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been quietly getting ready to return to Dublin… until a plethora of announcements on Tuesday, that is. The promotion returns to Ireland with a UFC Fight Night at the O2 Arena on July 19 and on Tuesday revealed several bouts.
The first official bout announced for the card is a match-up between two highly touted, undefeated welterweights.
Ryan LaFlare (11-0) and Gunnar Nelson (12-0-1) will surely be one of the feature fights on the card, although a main event has yet to be announced.
Dublin is Icelander Nelson's home base for training, so he's got a bit of the hometown benefit on his side.
“Dublin has always been like a second home to me,” he said. “Getting the opportunity to fight for the UFC in Dublin is very exciting. Irish crowds are just something else and I cannot wait.”
LaFlare, of course, doesn't give much weight to that advantage, “As far as home town advantage goes, it's only him and I in the Octagon when the fight starts and that is all that matters to me. I have tremendous confidence in my abilities and I believe he and I make for an exciting match-up.”
Other bouts revealed on Tuesday include Brad Pickett vs. Ian McCall, Tom Lawlor vs. Ilir Latifi, Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov, and Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery.
UFC Fight Night Dublin marks the promotion’s first fight card in Ireland since 2009. Irish fans have been clamoring for a return every since, and now they’ve finally, officially, got it.
