"It’s gonna be Gunnar Nelson" - Fans play matchmaker as UFC vet hints at return in August

Fans speculate Gunnar Nelson (left) will face Michael Chiesa (right) in August. [Image credit: @gunnarnelson and @mikemav22 on Instagram]

Looks like some of us want to see Gunnar Nelson vs. Michael Chiesa fight later this year. Beloved UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa just made it known on social media that his long-awaited return to action will be in August.

'The Maverick' posted his announcement on X and was reposted by MMA Orbit:

"I ain't done yet. See you guys in August."

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One particular Twitter user, @Holy_Combat, played matchmaker and suggested a possible matchup for 'The Maverick', saying:

"It's gonna be Gunnar Nelson"

Comment on the post. [Image credit: @mma_orbit on Twitter]

A possible Chiesa vs. Nelson bout will be a grappling specialist's slice of heaven. Both fighters have 23 official submission wins between them and we'll surely see some high-level grappling on display. Either that or this becomes a stand-up war as both men may very well cancel each other out on the ground. We've seen this happen in bouts like Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia and Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra.

Michael Chiesa vs. Gunnar Nelson: A Deeper Analysis

To understand a possible match-up between Michael Chiesa and Gunnar Nelson, it pays to look into their respective records and tale-of-the-tape. Both men have similar physical statures, with Chiesa having a three-inch reach and two-inch height advantage.

As far as striking goes, Nelson has an edge when it comes to significant strike accuracy, with 61% over Chiesa's 40%. This might explain why 'Gunni' has four knockouts on his record while 'The Maverick' has none.

In the grappling side of things, the numbers are similar except takedowns landed per fight, in which Chiesa owns Nelson with 3.33 over 1.9.

As far as win/loss records go, Nelson is at 19-5 with 13 submission wins, one loss coming by way of knockout, and four decision losses. Chiesa has a 16-7 record, 10 wins via submission, one loss via knockout, five submission losses, and one decision loss.

When you crunch the numbers, it looks like Nelson has a slight edge when it comes to submissions, being a former Jiu-jitsu world champion. He also has momentum on his side, coming off back-to-back wins in the UFC.

As for Chiesa, 'The Maverick' is on a three-fight losing skid and would very much want to get back into the winning column.