Takashi Sato Steps in to face Gunnar Nelson on 12 Days Notice
Originally scheduled to face Gunnar Nelson at UFC London, Claudio Silva had to pull out of the bout due to a knee injury.
To take Silva’s place on late notice will be 31-year-old and Sanford MMA affiliate, Takashi Sato.
Sato, who holds a professional record of 16-4 and a UFC record of 2-2 will now make his way from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to London. Sato’s two wins in the organization have been over Ben Saunders and Jason Witt. In his most outing, he was submitted by Miguel Baeza at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Clark.
Nelson (17-5-1), is returning to the octagon following two consecutive losses to Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns in 2019. The UFC vet has been with the organization since 2014 and has compiled victories over the likes of Zak Cummings, Alan Jouban, and Alex Oliveira.
UFC’s return to London will take place at the O2 Arena on March 19th. With Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov headlining the event, the card will feature several exciting bouts including Paddy Pimblett’s second fight under the UFC banner, top 10 featherweights Arnold Allen vs. Dan Hooker, and light heavyweights Nikita Krylov vs. Paul Craig.
The night of fights begins at 12 P.M. EST / 9 A.M. PST with the main card starting at 3 P.M. EST / 12 P.M. PST.
You can catch the card live on ESPN+.
Fight Card:
Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall – 265 lbs
Arnold Allen vs. Dan Hooker – 145 lbs
S. Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich – 265 lbs
Paddy Pimblett vs. Rodrigo Vargas – 155 lbs
Nikita Krylov vs. Paul Craig – 205 lbs
Gunnar Nelson vs. Takashi Sato – 170 lbs
Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina – 125 lbs
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden – 125 lbs
Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani – 145 lbs
Elise Reed vs. Cory McKenna – 115 lbs
Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev – 135 lbs
Jai Herbert vs. Ilia Topuria – 155 lbs
Nathaniel Wood vs. Vince Morales – 135 lbs
