Gilbert Burns will save the day once again.
He will replace the injured Thiago Alves and take on Gunnar Nelson at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in a welterweight bout. MMA Junkie confirmed the replacement with a person with knowledge of the matchup after an initial report from Combate.
UFC on ESPN+ 18 takes place Sept. 28 at Royal Arena in Copenhagen. The event streams on ESPN+.
Burns (16-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) stepped in on short notice for his last outing, as well, when he replaced Laureano Staropoli to take on Alexey Kunchenko on UFC on ESPN+ 14 in Uruguay. He won the fight by unanimous decision, snapping Kunchenko’s 20-fight win streak, in his successful return back to welterweight. “Durinho” will travel across the world once again when he takes on Nelson in Copenhagen.
Nelson (17-4-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC) is coming off a split decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC on ESPN+ 5. He has lost two of his past three fights and looks to regain momentum in the welterweight division when he takes on Burns. Nelson has finished 13 of his 17 pro wins by submission, but Burns, a three-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, has never been submitted.
The UFC on ESPN+ 18 lineup currently includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET)
- Jack Hermansson vs. Jared Cannonier
- Gilbert Burns vs. Gunnar Nelson
- Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Ovince Saint Preux
- Alen Amedovski vs. John Phillips
- Ion Cutelaba vs. Khalil Rountree
- Macy Chiasson vs. Lina Lansberg
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 11 a.m. ET)
- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Peter Sobotta
- Nicolas Dalby vs. Alex Oliveira
- Danilo Belluardo vs. Mark Madsen
- Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Ismail Naurdiev
- Marc Diakiese vs. Lando Vannata
- Nohelin Hernandez vs. Jack Shore
- Mike Davis vs. Danny Henry
