Gunnar Nelson vs. Alex Oliveira in the works for UFC 231

It looks like we’ll finally see Gunnar Nelson back in action this year.

ESPN is reporting that the UFC is close to booking a welterweight matchup between Nelson and Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira at UFC 231 on Nov 8.

Nelson (16-3-1) hasn’t competed since he was knocked out in the first round by Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 113. It was the first knockout loss of Nelson’s career and dropped him to 2-2 in his last four fights.

The 30-year-old joined the UFC in Sept. 2012 and amassed an impressive 4-0 record before losing a split decision to Rick Story at UFC Fight Night 53. Since that loss in Oct. 2014, the SBG product has only fought five times.

Nelson was slated to face Neil Magny UFC Fight Night 130 back in May, however a meniscus injury pulled him from the card. Through 20-career fights, Nelson has never lost two in a row.

Oliveira (20-5-1) meanwhile has been on quite the roll going 6-1-1 in his last eight fights. In his last bout he only needed 39-seconds to hand Carlo Pedersoli the first knockout loss of his career at UFC Fight Night 137 in September.

The 30-year-old hasn’t gone the distance in a fight since July 2016. “Cowboy” also boasts wins over former Bellator champion Will Brooks, Ryan LaFlare and Carlos Condit. It’s an interesting style matchup as Nelson has 12 of his 16 career wins by submission while four of Oliveira’s six career losses have come by submission.

UFC 231 emanates from The Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 8 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Here’s an updated look at the card

UFC 231 Fight Card:

Max Holloway (19-3) vs. Brian Ortega (14-0) – Featherweight Title
Valentina Shevchenko (15-3) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-2) – Vacant Women’s Flyweight Title
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (11-3) vs. Gilbert Burns (13-3)
Chad Laprise (13-3) vs. Dhiego Lima (12-7)
Hakeem Dawodu (8-1-1) vs. Kyle Bochniak (8-3)
Devin Clark (9-2) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (10-1)
Claudia Gadelha (16-3) vs. Nina Ansaroff (8-5)
Brad Katona (7-0) vs. Matthew Lopez (10-3)
Jimi Manuwa (17-4) vs. Thiago Santos (19-6)
Elias Theodorou (15-2) vs. Eryk Anders (11-2)
John Makdessi (16-6) vs. Diego Ferreira (13-2)
Katlyn Chookagian (11-1) vs. Jessica Eye (13-6)
Mirsad Bektic (13-1) vs. Renato Moicano (13-1-1)
Gunnar Nelson (16-3-1) vs. Alex Oliveira (20-5-1)

Who do you think wins this newly announced Gunnar Nelson vs. Alex Oliveira scrap?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/25/2018.