· On The Spot ~ Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson, like most Icelandic youths, spent his early childhood playing soccer and ice hockey. However, it would not be long before the decorated grappler began his path to becoming one of the sport's most talented up-and-comers. When he turned thirteen he decided to take up karate. From 2003 to 2005, he won the Icelandic Juvenile Kumite Championship, as well as many tournaments in between. At seventeen, Gunnar made the decision to give up karate for mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In just five short years, many people have labeled him a prodigy in both sports.
Nelson's advancement in submission grappling has been remarkable. From 2005, when he began studying, through 2008 Gunnar won many regional and national tournaments--highlighted by taking home first place finishes for his weight class, as well as the absolute division, at the Irish BJJ Open. After completing a three-hour seminar with trainers Matt Thornton and Karl Tanswell, and nearly an hour of "Ironman" competition against twenty-three opponents, Gunnar was finally awarded his purple belt.
The next year, 2009, proved to be his breakout year. Before being invited to ADCC 2009, he took first place as brown belt at several tournaments, including the New York International, and World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. At ADCC, he lost a close match in his weight class to James Brasco. However, it was during the absolute competition that Nelson made the biggest impact of his young career. He was able to defeat standout grappler Jeff Monson by points in double overtime, and David Avellan by rear-naked choke. Not long after returning from ADCC, he was awarded his black belt from Renzo Gracie. Since then, Gunnar has kept up his winning ways with gold in No-Gi at Pan-Ams as well as Icelandic BJJ Championship.
As for his rising mixed martial arts career, Gunnar Nelson is 5-0-1 since debuting in June of 2007. In that bout, Nelson faced veteran John Olesen. Nelson did considerably well against one of Denmark's top fighters, taking him to a draw. Showing improved striking, good takedowns, great control, and relentless ground-and-pound, Gunnar stopped his next five opponents, four of them in the first round. He currently trains out of his MMA gym, Mjölnir, in Iceland, as well as the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York. He has also spent time in Hawaii training with B.J. Penn. Recently, Gunnar took time out of his busy training schedule to answer a few questions from MMA Spot's Chris McClain.
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You have accomplished quite a bit and have a lot to be proud of. Is there a certain event or match that really sticks out to you that you are proud of?
Well, I guess the most recent things are usually closest to your mind, so participating in the ADCC 2009 in Barcelona was a very powerful experience and meant a lot to me. I have to say my match with Jeff Monson was a very unique experience for me and one of my favorites.
What made you to decide to give up karate for MMA and BJJ? Was that a hard decision for you?
The right decision was obvious. I had a really good start in karate, but when I was introduced to MMA and BJJ I felt that my karate training was too limited and it was time to move on. I had already fallen in love with the art of fighting so moving on to a more honest training was exciting to me.
Is your primary focus on tournaments or making it big in MMA?
I can definitely see myself entering the big leagues of MMA in the near future. But I’m in no hurry. There is a lot to learn out there and no need to force things.
Why the long layoff since your fights in 2007 and 2008?
There really was no specific reason for the MMA layoff. I was just concentrating on my grappling, so my focus automatically became on grappling tournaments.
How soon will we see you in a MMA fight again?
Next year, 2010, for sure.
Have you been contacted by any big promotions, or is your focal point small shows for now?
There have been some promotions, big and small, contacting us, but I’m in no hurry and small shows sound just as good to me right now as the big ones do. I will probably not be making any obligations until the beginning of next year. I won’t jump into anything without looking at as many options as possible. And I don’t want to be tied up right now, freedom is important to continue to develop and improve myself.
What short term goals do you have in both grappling and MMA?
To be honest, I have no goals, but to carry on improving myself. Nothing has been decided yet concerning tournaments or shows.
Outside of your jiu-jitsu, what is your strongest discipline?
I think my striking and wrestling are pretty even, but I think that one of my strongest disciplines is that I have a very focused and relaxed mind.
What aspect of MMA are you currently focusing on improving?
Well, I focus on MMA as a complete sport. For the last year or so I have been focusing on my ground game, but now my thoughts are more focused on striking and stand up grappling. Although, my training is pretty even on all aspects.
What part of MMA has been the hardest to adjust to?
I think the grappling part is where you have to spend most your time on, but it is important not to get too specific on "no strike" when thinking about MMA in the future.
Can you tell us some of the other people you currently train with and have with in the past? Is there someone you want to train with?
I train a lot with John Kavanagh and Karl Tanswell, who both are black belts under Matt Thornton (Straight Blast Gym), who I also trained with. They are great MMA trainers and good friends. But mainly I have been training back home in Iceland with my friends in Mjölnir (SBG-Iceland). Last year I have been training mostly at Renzo Gracie Academy in New York. I have many good training partners and coaches there; like Daniel Gracie, John Danaher, Gregor Gracie, Augusto Tio, Chico Viera, and many more. I’m very happy with my training partners and can’t say I would rather be anywhere else. But since your asking, Fedor Emelianenko, Sakuraba, and Greg Jackson, are fighters/trainers I would very much like to train with.
What was the experience like at ADCC?
It was a powerful experience. The vibe was great and every single fight was a great lesson.
Can you tell us what was going through your mind after you defeated Jeff Monson?
To be quite honest, I didn’t dwell on it much because I had another fight coming up against Dave Avellan. But later on, after all the matches, I realized I had beaten a legend of the sport, and it was a good feeling.
What are you thoughts on Renzo Gracie coming to the UFC and his fight with Matt Hughes?
It is quite exciting to me, I have always been a big fan of Renzo’s and now that I train with him it's even more exciting. I like the fact that he doesn’t stop fighting.
Who would you consider the best grappler you have rolled with?
Seriously? I’ve rolled with many of the best in the world and it’s impossible to pick one out. They all have their unique way of rolling.
Any tips or advice for those just getting into Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
Keep an honest mind and train every day!
Do you have hobbies that you like to do outside of BJJ and MMA?
I like to go hang out with my family and friends, sit and talk. Like to go to the country side, to my grandparents farm in the northern part of Iceland, help them out and take it easy.
Is there anyone you want to thank? Anything you want to plug?
I would like to thank all my coaches, John Kavanagh, Renzo Gracie, Karl Tanswell, John Danaher, Daniel Gracie and others. I like to thank my Club in Iceland, Mjölnir, for everything they have done. My Dad/manager for taking care of business, and all my family and friends for the overall support. Everyone has helped me grow. For those interested; news about my career are always on my website: www.nelson.is
