Gunnar Nelson has a new opponent for the UFC’s first trip to Denmark.
Gilbert Burns will step in and replace an ill Thiago Alves to face Nelson in the welterweight co-main event of UFC Copenhagen on Sept. 28, UFC officials confirmed Tuesday with ESPN. Brazilian outlet Combate was the first to report the news. Alves told MMA Fighting that he was suffering from complications of a kidney stone infection.
Nelson vs. Burns will be a battle of high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts.
Nelson (17-4-1) is coming off a split-decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC London in March. The Iceland native has dropped two of his last three fights. Nelson, 31, sports an 8-4 UFC record.
Burns (16-3) has won three in a row, including a unanimous-decision win over Alexey Kunchenko at UFC Uruguay last month. The Brazilian moved up from lightweight to welterweight for that bout and looked impressive. Burns, 33, holds a 9-3 record in the UFC.
UFC Copenhagen is headlined by a middleweight bout between Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier. Hermansson is ranked No. 6 among middleweights in ESPN’s rankings.