Gunnar Nelson’s comeback date and opponent close to confirmation

It's been some time since we've seen Gunnar Nelson set foot in the Octagon.

To be exact, we have not seen Nelson's stoic face in his corner in 465 days at the time of writing but one of the most dangerous grapplers in the welterweight divisions is almost ready to return to action. The SBG 170lber has been sidelined since being knocked out by Santiago Ponzinibbio in July 2017 but Nelson is expected to make his comeback before this year is out. ESPN's Brett Okamoto reports that the UFC is close to finalising a clash between 'Gunni' and Alex Oliveira for UFC 231 on December 8 in Toronto. Nelson was expected to return against Neil Magny in May but the Icelandic welterweight was forced to pull out of the bout with an injury. Nelson last got his hand raised when he submitted Alan Jouban last March and despite his extended absence, the 30-year-old remains ranked at 170lbs. In Oliveira, Nelson will face a legitimately dangerous fighter. The Brazilian has lost just one of his last eight fights and has not heard the judges' scorecards in over two years. UFC 231 will be headlined by the rescheduled featherweight title fight between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega while the vacant UFC women's flyweight title will be contested when Valentina Shevchenko meets former strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event.