Written by Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Neil Magny and Gunnar Nelson bring a combined 50 promotional bouts to UFC 318.
The promotion announced on Friday that the welterweight mainstays will battle it out at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on July 19.
Magny is set to make his 35th UFC appearance as he looks to get back on track after suffering back-to-back first-round knockout losses to Michael Morales and Carlos Prates. Magny began 2024 with a comeback stoppage win against Mike Malott at UFC 297, which continued a streak of flip-flopping wins and losses over his previous seven bouts.
Nelson makes a quick turnaround, and will compete for the second time in a year for the first time since 2019. “Gunni” recently had a two-fight win streak snapped by Kevin Holland at UFC London in March, losing a entertaining decision. Prior to that, Nelson picked up a submission win over Bryan Barberena and a decision win against Takashi Sato.
UFC 318 is headlined by Dustin Poirier’s final fight, as he challenges Max Holloway for the BMF title in their third meeting.