UFC heavyweight Roy “Big Country” Nelson’s new UFC contract is a nine-fight deal, according to what Nelson told Ariel Helwani on Tuesday.
The new deal was announced on UFC Tonight, as well as the first fight on the deal pitting Nelson (19-8) against Daniel Cormier (12-0). The fight will be the co-main event on Oct. 19 in Houston’s Toyota Center underneath the Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos championship match.
Nelson, 37, described his feelings on the contract as that he is relatively happy, using the term relative saying he didn’t get everything he wanted. But he said he expects to finish his career in UFC, and figures to fight for another five years.
Nelson had a three-fight winning steak, all via knockout in less than three minutes, over Dave Herman, Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo going into UFC 161 in Winnipeg.
The streak had garnered him the most popularity of his nine-year career. But he couldn’t match the speed, stamina, wrestling ability or footwork of Stipe Miocic in his last fight, a unanimous decision loss, on June 15.
Getting Cormier as an opponent, largely based on Nelson goading the former Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix winner, is the kind of match-up somewhat unusual after such a decisive loss to a lower-ranked opponent.
A win over Cormier would reverse all damage of the Miocic loss and put Nelson back into the top tier of the heavyweight division.