UFC Fight Night 46 results: After sluggish start, Gunnar Nelson taps Zak Cummings

DUBLIN – It took the implacably calm Gunnar Nelson (13-0-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) almost two rounds to get moving against Zak Cummings (17-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), but when he did, a finish was a walk in the park.

Nelson took advantage of a momentary lapse in Cummings’ defense to take the fight to the ground and coax a quick tap-out.

The welterweight bout co-headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 46 event at The O2 in Dublin. The entire event streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The fight was called off at the 4:48 mark of the second round, bringing the 25-year-old Nelson his fourth straight UFC win. Characteristically, he saved the post-fight bluster for others and simply said he’d like to fight a top-five opponent next.

Having submitted three of his four UFC opponents, it’s hard to imagine the still-unbeaten Nelson won’t get his wish.

Although Cummings gave him trouble inside early in the second, and a listless first round saw both fighters lag, Nelson turned up the tempo and began gesticulating to distract his foe as he snuck in right hands. Then, as Cummings hit the fence, Nelson grabbed his neck and dragged him to the mat, where he quickly took the back. A few well-placed punches were all Nelson needed to bypass Cummings’ defense and secure the choke.

Cummings, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 17,” goes back to the drawing board after winning back-to-back fights in his post-TUF career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 46 results include:

• Norman Parke def. Naoyuki Kotani via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:41
• Ian McCall def. Brad Pickett via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Norman Parke def. Naoyuki Kotani via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:41
• Ilir Latifi def. Chris Dempsey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:07
• Neil Seery def. Phil Harris via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Cathal Pendred def. Mike King via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:33
• Trevor Smith def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Nikita Krylov def. Cody Donovan via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:57
• Patrick Holohan def. Josh Sampo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:06

For more on UFC Fight Night 46, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: John Morgan and Matt Erickson contributed to this report on-site in Dublin.)