While the Renen Barão fight that we all want to see involves Dominick Cruz, who will be sidelined for most of 2013 with a torn ACL, we could do a lot worse than watching Barão face off against Michael McDonald tomorrow at UFC on Fuel 7, live from London at 3 PM ET. At just 22-years old, McDonald has the chance to become the youngest champion in UFC history, and while people want to make sure that we point out that it’s just an interim title, we wouldn’t want to crap on the kid’s accomplishment in the event that he does win.
Aside from the main event, though, Saturday’s card is filled with some young, exciting talent, and I’d love to talk at great length about the potential of guys like Jimi Manuwa, Dustin Poirier and Ryan Jimmo – as they should offer us exciting fights – I’m focused on one guy and one guy only – Gunnar Nelson.
Yes, the Icelandic fighter has won 10 consecutive fights, including his UFC debut at UFC on Fuel 5 in Nottingham last September, dating back to his MMA debut in 2007. But I don’t care about that. What I care about is that he shares a name with one-half of the 80s pop rock duo Nelson, which delivered us the greatest song ever written by man, “Love and Affection”.
For so long, I have asked for the gods of organized belligerence to deliver me a new fighter to champion, and I believe that man is Gunnar Nelson. Don’t let me down, good sir.
