Tag: Roy Nelson

UFC 130 Preview: Frank Mir: Roy Nelson Would Be "Effective at Light Heavyweight"

UFC heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson have both seen plenty of success in their respective careers and whoever emerges from their UFC 130 matchup will move either one step closer to a heavyweight title shot.  While Nelson has faced his fair sh…

UFC heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson have both seen plenty of success in their respective careers and whoever emerges from their UFC 130 matchup will move either one step closer to a heavyweight title shot. 

While Nelson has faced his fair share of quality competition throughout his career, Mir believes the rotund heavyweight would have a better chance at 205 pounds.

“You know, I’ve always felt that Roy probably could be very effective at (light heavyweight),” Mir recently told MMADigest, courtesy of MMAUniverse.com.

Since trimming down and adding muscle to his frame, Mir considered the idea of moving down to the light heavyweight division prior to his bout against Cheick Kongo at UFC 107. 

While he admires the success Nelson has achieved competing in the heavyweight division, Mir is skeptical of “Big Country” and his chances of competing against the upper echelon of the division.

“The whole big belly thing is cool, but I think he will struggle with some of the better heavyweights in the UFC,” Mir said. 

Nelson’s most recent loss came at the hands of heavyweight standout Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117, while Mir’s recent losses came up against some of the bigger, stronger guys such as Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. 

It’s those two losses that has Mir believing Nelson’s time will be limited in the heavyweight division. 

“He could still beat guys at heavyweight, but will he be an unstoppable force? Nah, he is giving up a lot of height. I can speak from experience, quality size matters.”

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UFC 130: Roy Nelson Talks UFC Fan Expo, Mullets and Frank Mir

MMA H.E.A.T.’s Kayrn Bryant caught up with “Big Country” Roy Nelson at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto for a quick Q&A session regarding his upcoming heavyweight fight with Frank Mir at UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III and the secret to…

MMA H.E.A.T.’s Kayrn Bryant caught up with “Big Country” Roy Nelson at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto for a quick Q&A session regarding his upcoming heavyweight fight with Frank Mir at UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III and the secret to keeping a healthy mullet.

After almost a year of waiting for his next fight, “Big Country” makes his first octagon appearance since his fight with Junior Dos Santos in August of 2010.

Nelson engaged in a heavy-handed brawl with the TUF 13 coach, which he lost via unanimous decision but has nothing to be ashamed of.

Along with Dos Santos, Nelson put on the kind of show that both fans and UFC President, Dana White like to see and his fight before last, Nelson won the KO of the Night bonus against Stefan Struve.

On May 28, 2011, Nelson will take on former two-time UFC heavyweight, Frank Mir in a fight that many are looking forward to after Mir’s lackluster, knock-out performance against Mirko “CroCop” Filipović.

Bryant mentioned Nelson being a down to earth guy who is very “relatable” to which Nelson replied, “We all put our pants on the same way.”

She then asked Nelson what his answer is when people say that he doesn’t “look like a fighter.”

“I’m not wearing a football jersey or baseball jersey. That’s usually the look,” was Nelson’s response.

Some speculate that Nelson’s power is in his hair, much like the biblical figure, Samson.

According to Nelson, it’s all in the preparation and styling of his “spectacular” plumage. “It’s just good shampoo…a couple of combs a day. It’s just got to be healthy.”

Nelson’s mullet is healthy indeed. It looks like he’s grown it a few extra inches since his last fight. “It’s business in the front and all party in the back,” he said.

Nelson said that he enjoys “giving back to the fans” at the UFC Fan Expos. “They’re the ones that actually make our sport; no fans, no sport.”

Bryant asked Nelson if he and his upcoming opponent were “friendly.” Nelson said, that he and Mir have known each other for 11 years, that Mir and his wife come over for visits and they “talk all the time.” He even had Mir autograph a picture for him.

Nelson says that this is not a fight he especially wants, being that he and Mir are long time buddies. He compared their friendship and the fight to Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans with Nelson being Rashad and Mir being Jones.

Make sure to check back with BleacherReport.com/mma for more UFC 130: Egdar vs. Maynard III fight card news and live coverage.

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‘UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III’ Video Trailer

(Props: UFC)

The UFC’s next big event goes down May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, featuring the third meeting between champion Frankie Edgar and arch-rival Gray Maynard, as well as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Hamill and Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson. The UFC 130 lineup also includes Miguel Torres, Thiago Alves, Stefan Struve, and the return of Jorge Santiago. Start getting psyched now, because there ain’t a hell of a lot going on until then…


(Props: UFC)

The UFC’s next big event goes down May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, featuring the third meeting between champion Frankie Edgar and arch-rival Gray Maynard, as well as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Hamill and Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson. The UFC 130 lineup also includes Miguel Torres, Thiago Alves, Stefan Struve, and the return of Jorge Santiago. Start getting psyched now, because there ain’t a hell of a lot going on until then…

2011: Year of the Heavyweight

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceIf 2011 goes as planned, we’ll see more good, competitive, high-level mixed martial arts fights than we’ve ever seen in any year of the sport’s existence.

Strikeforce’s eight-man heavyweight tournament was getting all the …

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If 2011 goes as planned, we’ll see more good, competitive, high-level mixed martial arts fights than we’ve ever seen in any year of the sport’s existence.

Strikeforce’s eight-man heavyweight tournament was getting all the headlines last week, but the UFC did a nice job of bouncing back with the news that Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos will coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, that Shane Carwin expects to return in June, and that Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne are slated for May.

Assuming a best-case scenario for both promotions, we’ll have good heavyweight fights from Strikeforce, the UFC or both every month for the next 10 months or so, culminating with the return of Cain Velasquez and the Strikeforce tournament final toward the end of the year. Remember, I started this with an “If”: Looking ahead to fights that we hope to see in the future is always risky business. But below we’ll look at the fights that will make this the year of the heavyweight.

Roy Nelson vs. Frank Mir, Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne Targeted for UFC 130

Filed under: UFC, NewsA Memorial Day weekend scrap between Roy Nelson and Frank Mir is being targeted for a May 28 UFC event in Las Vegas, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting.

The event, expected to emanate from the MGM …

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A Memorial Day weekend scrap between Roy Nelson and Frank Mir is being targeted for a May 28 UFC event in Las Vegas, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting.

The event, expected to emanate from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, will likely be UFC 130.

That event is also likely to feature a second heavyweight tilt, this one pitting fast-rising Stefan Struve against Travis Browne.

What If the UFC Held a Heavyweight Tournament?

(Somehow we see this tournament going down before Strikeforce’s HW GP.)
With the current buzz surrounding the recently announced Strikeforce 2011 heavyweight grand prix, we figured we’d take a look at what kind of tournament the UFC could put on if t…


(Somehow we see this tournament going down before Strikeforce’s HW GP.)

With the current buzz surrounding the recently announced Strikeforce 2011 heavyweight grand prix, we figured we’d take a look at what kind of tournament the UFC could put on if they were so inclined.

Contrary to popular opinion, the calibre of the UFC’s HW GP would be just as good, if not better than Strikeforce’s. The only noticeable difference is that there really wouldn’t be any mismatches in Zuffa’s heavyweightpalooza.

Even if Joe Silva decided not to put the matches together that we hypothesized in order to save some of the more anticipated pairings for the sem-final and final rounds, shuffling the card around would not cause a great disparity in the calibre of opponents.

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