Tag: Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson Returns At Bellator 207

“Big Country” is back!

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Mixed martial arts (MMA) heavyweight veteran Roy Nelson is set to return at Bellator 207.

The 42-year-old made his Bellator MMA debut back in September of last year. He won a unanimous decision against Javy Ayala at Bellator 183. Nelson then lost in the Bellator MMA heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal to Mat Mitrione via Majority Decision.

Previously, Nelson had been with the UFC for almost eight years. He won The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 (TUF 10) when he knocked out Brendan Schaub in 2009. Over the years he’d establish himself as a favorite amongst the UFC fanbase.

Nelson signed with Bellator MMA in May of 2017 and didn’t look back. He continues to search for his first world title in MMA since holding the IFL Heavyweight Title back in 2008.

MMA Junkie has now confirmed that Nelson will return to the Bellator cage against Sergei Kharitonov. The fight goes down at Bellator 207 from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on October 13, 2018.

Kharitonov is a near-20-year veteran of the MMA game. He is currently on a four-fight win streak. Those fights have taken place under the Bellator and M-1 Challenge banners. He is a proven knockout artist but has a fair amount of submissions on his record as well.

Nelson and Kharitonov will serve as the co-main event for Bellator 207 in October. Check out the card for the Uniondale event thus far below:

  • Matt Mitrione vs. Ryan Bader (Bellator heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
  • Sergei Kharitonov vs. Roy Nelson
  • Mike Kimbel vs. Alex Potts

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Seven Potential Replacements For Dana White

Check out seven possible replacements the UFC could hire for Dana White:

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Nothing lasts forever, and even the mighty Dana White will one day step down as the president and face of the UFC.

Love him or hate him, White has been at the helm of the combat sports giant since Zuffa purchased it back in January of 2001. Under White’s leadership, the UFC has grown into a multi-billion dollar, global phenomenon, and the unquestioned leader of mixed martial arts (MMA).

That’s not to say White hasn’t ruffled a few feathers along the way, a career that spans more than 15 years is bound to challenge the status quo. Brash and unapologetic at times, and at other times brutally honest, inconsistency has been the only constant in White’s run as UFC president.

When Zuffa sold the Ultimate Fighting Championship to the William Morris Endeavor in 2016 for $4.2 billion, many people questioned whether White would also part ways with the company he helped build. He obviously has not; however, as of late people have started to notice that White seems increasingly disinterested and at times flippant.

With that in mind, we explored the MMA universe to bring you seven possible replacements for White. Enjoy.

CombatPress

Chael Sonnen

If you saw this one coming, give yourself a pat on the back because you, my friend, have a keen MMA eye. Sonnen is perhaps the most obvious choice to fill White’s shoes, and maybe best suited to follow such an act.

If “The American Gangster” did have ambitions of reigning over the UFC, he would first need to be released from his existing Bellator contract, which most likely would not be an issue considering the kinship between himself and Scott Coker.

The more practical sticking point may be the incredible freedom the Viacom owned promotion bestows on Chael. Would he really want to trade his relatively light workload with big bucks, for a back-breaking work schedule with comparable pay?

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Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners

Find out where your favorite The Ultimate Fighter winners are now:

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With the UFC having now secured a new broadcasting deal with ESPN from 2019 onwards, Dana White recently admitted that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show may finally be on its way out after a 27season series run.

As such, now seems like a good time to take a look back at what has become of every single one of the long-running show’s 35 ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winners to date.

Find out what your favorite past winners of TUF are up to now:

SEASON 1

Diego Sanchez

It’s a testament to Diego Sanchez’s durability that 13 years after winning TUF season 1 he remains the only fighter from that historic series to still be actively competing in the UFC, having amassed 27 fights (16-11) to date.

However, after suffering back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights, it’s possible that the 36-year-old’s memorable career is now entering its final stages, though Sanchez has assured his fans that, “I’m not done yet.”


Forrest Griffin

Arguably TUF’s most iconic winner, Griffin’s fight with Stephan Bonner in the Season 1 finale was declared as the most important fight in UFC history by Dana White, while he’d also go on to win the light-heavyweight title too.

Griffin retired in 2013 at the age of 33 due to chronic injuries, but he’s since been inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame and now works for the UFC as their Vice President of Athletic Development.

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Roy Nelson Officially Ruled Out Of Bellator 200

Roy Nelson will no longer be competing at Bellator 200:

The post Roy Nelson Officially Ruled Out Of Bellator 200 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Originally, a rematch between legendary heavyweights Roy Nelson and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic was scheduled to headline Bellator 200 this Friday (May 25, 2018) from the SSE Arena in London, England, but ‘Cro Cop’ was forced to withdraw from the bout earlier this week after suffering an injury and undergoing surgery.

Following the news, Nelson made it clear that he wanted to remain on the card, but Bellator President Scott Coker has officially ruled him out as well:

“Unfortunately, Mirko tore his knee and he’s out, so Roy will not be fighting on Friday,” Coker told MMAFighting.com. “We will sit down with Roy after this fight and get him re-booked and get him busy again.”

The winner of the bout was also slated to become an alternate in Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, but Nelson, who lost in the first round to Matt Mitrione earlier this year, will now become the sole alternate should one be needed:

“Roy is the guy now, so if he gets a spot by default, that’s what it is,” Coker said. “Roy will move forward in the tournament if somebody else can’t make it.”

Bellator 200 is now set to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Rafael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi, with Michael Page taking on David Rickels in the co-main event. Former light heavyweight titleholder Phil Davis will also take on Linton Vassell on the main card.

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Roy Nelson Officially Pulled From Bellator 200 Card

Hard-hitting heavyweight star Roy Nelson is officially off the Bellator 200 card. Nelson was slated to fight Mirko Cro Cop in an alternate bout for the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix at the upcoming Bellator 200 event. However, the MMA Legend suffered…

Hard-hitting heavyweight star Roy Nelson is officially off the Bellator 200 card. Nelson was slated to fight Mirko Cro Cop in an alternate bout for the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix at the upcoming Bellator 200 event. However, the MMA Legend suffered a knee injury and had to be pulled from the card. There was some […]

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Photo: Cro Cop Reveals Injury That Forced Him Off Bellator 200

Cro Cop showed fans why he couldn’t fight Roy Nelson this weekend…

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MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was forced out of his Bellator 200 rematch against Roy “Big Country” Nelson with an undisclosed injury just days before the fight.

”Cro Cop” posted a photo on Instagram of him after surgery for the knee injury while laying in a hospital bed, and it certainly looks like a legitimate reason to not fight this weekend:

A post shared by Mirko Filipovi? (@crocop1009) on

The PRIDE FC and UFC heavyweight was set to make his Bellator debut against “Big Country,” who had defeated him by TKO back in 2011. The kickboxer generally has good luck in rematches, having brutally avenged his shocking knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga by returning the favor.

The rematch with Nelson could have easily been an alternate bout for the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, but alas it was not meant to be.

Instead, Gegard Mousasi’s fight against middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho will headline the card.

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