The fight card for the UFC’s upcoming return to Scotland, UFC Fight Night 113, has two big additions.
They include a welterweight headliner of Gunnar Nelson (16-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (24-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), as well as a strawweight co-headliner of Joanne Calderwood (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) vs. Cynthia Calvillo (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC).
Officials today announced the matchups.
UFC Fight Night 113 takes place July 16 at SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. The card airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the lineup hasn’t been finalized.
Nelson, an honorable mention in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, is a 28-year-old Icelandic submission specialist. After a rough 1-2 stretch that included decision losses to vets Rick Story and Demian Maia, Nelson has rebounded with back-to-back submission wins over Albert Tumenov and Alan Jouban in his two most recent appearances. Both of the victories, which give Nelson 12 submission victories in 16 career wins, earned “Performance of the Night” honors.
He now meets Ponzinibbio, a 30-year-old Argentine fighter who gets his biggest opportunity since joining the UFC in 2013. With a recent decision victory over Nordine Taleb, “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2” semifinalist now has a four-fight winning streak. Although 13 of his 24 career wins have come via knockout, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt also has six career submission victories.
Calderwood, meanwhile, is ranked No. 12 at strawweight. The 30-year-old Scottish fighter and “TUF 20” quarterfinalist picked up a TKO victory over former title challenger Valerie Letourneau in a rare flyweight bout this past summer, but in her most recent appearance, she suffered a submission loss to Jessica Andrade in a strawweight title-eliminator.
She looks to rebound when she meets Calvillo, an undefeated 29-year-old who joined the UFC earlier this year after just three pro fights (and a lengthy amateur career). Since then, she’s picked up submission victories over Amanda Cooper and Pearl Gonzalez (though the latter bout was nearly canceled due to her opponent’s breast implants).
The latest UFC Fight Night 113 card now includes:
For more on UFC Fight Night 113, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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