UFC London results: Leon Edwards outpoints Gunnar Nelson to take leap toward welterweight title shot

LEON EDWARDS took another leap toward a welterweight title shot after outpointing fans’ favourite Gunnar Nelson.

The Brummie hardman dropped Conor McGregor’s training partner with a brain rattling elbow and expertly held off the jiu-jitsu black belt on the ground.

One terrible judge scored the fight 29-28 to Nelson but thankfully the other two knew better and scored it 29-27 and 29-28 to the battling Brit.

The crowd was massively behind the Icelander and even broke out into the national football team’s Viking Thunder Clap in the first round to try to motivate their man.

The pair spent an age grappling up against the octagon wall, with 27-year-old Edwards limpet-like before the pair separated for the final 20 seconds of a very even round.

Like Straight Blast Gym team-mate John Phillips earlier in the evening, Nelson did not have trainer and Conor McGregor mentor John Kavanagh in his corner, apparently after a problem with his flight over to England.

But Nelson never looked like losing his famous cool without the Irish MMA mastermind supporting him.

Both men tried long head kicks at the start of the second round but neither hit the sweet spot.

Nelson, 30, threw a hopeful right hand with 90 seconds of the round remaining but it failed to rattle the Birmingham ace.

But when Nelson lunged in for a clinch, Edwards connected with a brutal short left elbow that robbed Nelson of his senses and sent him to the floor.

Edwards pounced and rained blows down on his stricken rival but the referee, who had called a controversial verbal submission earlier in the evening and been criticised by UFC boss Dana White, let the action continue.

Nelson somehow survived the onslaught but an awful hematoma erupted out of his eye socket and provided the perfect target for Edwards.

Nelson’s war wound did not deter him, he shot for takedowns in the third frame and succeeded with one with just a minute on the clock.

But Edwards tucked up and intertwined his limbs with the bruised Iceman and saw out the final 25 seconds.