Roy Nelson was entering the final fight on his contract and filled his time during the week taking potshots at Dana White and Daniel Cormier.
On Saturday night at UFC 161, Nelson traded his verbal potshots for his haymaker right hand. It’s a punch that’s served the big man well in his last few fights. Indeed, Nelson made quick work of his last three opponents.
That wouldn’t be the case at UFC 161, though. Nelson looked absolutely dreadful in getting hammered for 15 minutes by Stipe Miocic. Not only did Nelson see his three-fight win streak snapped by taking a beating, he also lost nearly every bargaining chip he had going into contract negotiations.
White’s disdain of “Big Country” is well documented. Nobody would question his decision if he did not re-sign Nelson after this past showing. Yet, there’s still a few reasons White may want to keep the well-rounded star (pun intended) on the UFC’s roster.