Heavyweights Roy Nelson, Cheick Kongo Will Meet at UFC 159

Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.– Porter, MacbethSorry to get all artsy on you, but the greatest gatekeeper in the history of the English language may now have some company. Roy Nel…

Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.

— Porter, Macbeth

Sorry to get all artsy on you, but the greatest gatekeeper in the history of the English language may now have some company. Roy Nelson and Cheick Kongo are finally set to fight.

According to Tuesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, the two popular heavyweights will do it April 27 at UFC 159 in Newark, N.J., and they’ll do it to determine the finest gatekeeper not only in the division but also, very possibly, for all of recorded time.

 

Shakespeare and whatnot aside, Kongo and Nelson are two very interesting, powerful and deceptively skilled heavyweights who have somehow managed never to meet in the cage despite eerily similar career arcs. Particularly striking are the parallels between their records during three overlapping years on the middle rungs of the UFC’s most powerful weight class.

Nelson (18-7) will look to make it two in a row following a first-round knockout of Matt Mitrione back in April. In July, Kongo (18-7-2) decisioned Shawn Jordan in a fight that was boring to watch but displayed an unusually strong commitment to grappling from Kongo. 

Previously, “Big Country” Nelson, 36, was outlasted by Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum. Nelson has never been finished in the UFC. At the same time, he’s only one of three men to go the distance with Dos Santos.

Kongo, 37, reinvigorated his career in 2011, when he pulled off one of the best comebacks in UFC history with his knockout of Pat Barry. 

The main event of UFC 159 is scheduled to pit light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against The Ultimate Fighter coaching opponent Chael Sonnen. Also announced during the UFC Tonight broadcast was a tangle between light heavyweights Phil Davis and Vinny Magalhaes.

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