Hot off the heels of the successful UFC 178 card this past weekend, the UFC returns to Europe, and in particular Sweden, home of light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson, for its next UFC Fight Night card, UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story. Fight Night 43, however, will not have Gustafsson on the card, but instead team mate and training partner Ilir Latifi, and Icelandic wrestling standout Gunnar Nelson taking on Rick "The Horror" Story in the main event. A Fight Pass event, the lack of a big name on the card may keep casual fans away (and the fact that this is the first card of a double header, as Fight Night 44 goes down later in the day), but the UFC is banking on Nelson being a breakout star in Europe, riding the wave that team mate Conor McGregor has started. On top of that, they've loaded the card with at least a couple of recognizable names from the Ultimate Fighter, Tor Troeng (season 17) and Cathal Pendred (season 19). Will that be enough to capture the attention of fans who are being overwhelmed by three or four UFC events per month (and two in one day)? It's hard to tell. Dennis Siver is on the card, as is Max Holloway vs. Akira Corassani, so there are some names (Siver is on the undercard mind you), and if the card has anything going for it, it's that we haven't been as overexposed to European events as we have to Brazilian ones, so a number of lesser-known European fighters is almost excusable. The main card of the event kicks off at 3PM EST, which is probably the best thing it has going for it - both in North America and Europe, this is an accessible card that shouldn't require being up to the wee hours of the morning to take in. There are four bouts on the main card to consider, so lets take a look at four main card predictions for UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
