Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (14-5) will try to continue his climb back up the 265-pound mountain when he takes on Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Champion Roy Nelson (15-5) at UFC 130: "Rampage vs. Hamill" from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mir has been labeled as the "favorite" in this titanic tilt -- but not by much.
Most oddsmakers have him at -135 while his rotund rival rolls in at +105 as the underdog. They own similar records and "Big Country" even holds a 2003 Grappler's Quest win over Mir but as far as mixed martial arts is concerned, Nelson has faced very few "elite" heavyweights during his stint as a Zuffa employee.
He's also coming off a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Junior dos Santos back in August while Mir rebounded from his drubbing by Shane Carwin to Cro-Cock Mirko Filipovic last September.
Are the oddsmakers calling it like they see it? Or playing it safe? Take a look at how these two heavyweights stack up and decide for yourself.
265 lbs.: Frank Mir vs. Roy "Big Country" Nelson
Backgrounds (last five fights):
Mir:
Record: 3-2
Notable wins: First fighter to stop "Minotauro" Nogueira, torched Cheick Kongo and Mirko Filipovic.
Notable losses: Violent defeats to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
Strengths: Powerful puncher, elite grappler, ton of experience.
Weaknesses: Overrated boxing, questionable gas tank, over-confident.
Nelson:
Record: 2-3
Notable wins: Beat the brakes off Brendan Schaub, razed the "Skyscraper" at Fight Night 21.
Notable losses: Stopped by Andrei Arlovski in 2008, was lit up by Junior dos Santos in his last fight.
Strengths: Superior grappler, heavy hands, agile for his size.
Weaknesses: Wastes punches, doesn't have a gameplan, not hard to hit.
Frank Mir (-135) vs. Roy Nelson (+105) at UFC 130. Who ya' got and why?
For more MMA odds and betting lines from UFC 130 or to see how the numbers stack up for different events check out odds aggregate OddsShark by clicking here.
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