Iceland UFC fighter Gunnar Nelson has survived a car accident in his homeland after the vehicle he was travelling in skidded off the road in icy conditions. The UFC welterweight star was riding in a pick-up truck with three friends when it skidded off an icy road, rolled down a hill and landed in the Þjórsá river.
Nelson’s manager and father, Halli, said that Gunnar needed 10 or 11 stitches in his arm, while the other three passengers also suffered only minor injuries. He explained that the vehicle fell into a glacier river with a strong current, and if it had gone just a metre further into the river, the current would have swept it away.
Nelson remains undefeated in MMA, with his most recent fight being when he defeated Jorge Santiago by unanimous decision in February. He has not fought since as he has been recovering from MCL surgery.
Nelson signed his first multi-fight contract with UFC in July 2012, and now splits his time between New York, where he trains at the Renzo Gracie Academy, and Reykjavik, where he instructs at Mjölnir, the local MMA club.