Oliveira ‘certain’ Nelson will succumb to his power at UFC 231

Alex Oliveira talks about his welterweight matchup vs. Gunnar Nelson at UFC 231.

UFC welterweight Alex Oliveira believes he will have his hands full at UFC 231. Scheduled to take on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and karate blackbelt Gunnar Nelson, the Brazilian tells Portal do Vale Tudo he has a tough match ahead of him when the pair meet in December.

However, despite Nelson’s background in grappling, which Oliveira believes his opponent will try and put to use, the Brazilian still predicts his striking and heavy hands will decide the bout in his favor.

“The fight will be all about him trying to grapple me,” Oliveira said. “It won’t be easy, it’s going to be a hard fight, but I’m relaxed, I’m going to take it based on what I’ve been practicing. When I hit him with some hard shots, I’m certain he will go down, just like it happened to the others.”

Alex Oliveira (19-5-1-2 NC) is on a two-fight winning streak, with a TKO victory over Carlo Pedersoli Jr. and a submission victory over former interim welterweight champion, Carlos Condit. The 30-year-old’s last loss came in December 2017, when he was knocked out by Yancy Medeiros.

Now, Oliveira is expected to meet Gunnar Nelson at UFC 231, on December 8, in Toronto, Canada. The card will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between the champion, Max Holloway, and top contender, Brian Ortega.