It's hard to not like a guy like Roy Nelson.
Even though the No. 11-ranked heavyweight contender is coming off a third straight loss in the Octagon, he's as happy and jubilant as ever heading into his 16th UFC bout against the surging Jared Rosholt at UFC Fight Night 82 later tonight (Sat., Feb. 6, 2016).
Nelson, who's picked up six post-fight performance bonus checks in his ZUFFA career, can throw a vicious haymaker, but he will be going up against a high-level wrestler in "Big Show." Rosholt was a four-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University, which was also the home of previous Nelson foe and current 205-pound champion, Daniel Cormier.
Since "Big Country" is used to being blanketed by men like "DC" and former heavyweight champ Frank Mir, he's not about to let Rosholt drag him into a prolonged grappling battle.
"[If] Jared drags me into a boring fight, like it's going to be a fun boring fight cause Roy Nelson is in it. It's always fun an exciting. The only way the UFC can actually bottle the fight is it's the Roy Nelson experience," a smiling Nelson told MMA Fighting.
He better have something up his sleeves, though, because Rosholt is hip to Nelson's trick.
Each of Nelson's seven UFC victories have come via his potent hands. However, on the flipside, Rosholt's been knocked out in his two career losses.
It's Rosholt who carries momentum into their "Sin City" collision, having won his last three bouts, which includes a unanimous-decision win over Dutch kickboxer Stefan Struve. His victory over "The Skyscraper" wasn't exactly easy on the eyes, and he knows that, which is why Rosholt took it upon himself to check out Grudge Training Center several weeks before his tilt with Nelson.
The strengths of both combatants are clear. Both Nelson and Rosholt rely heavily on their striking and wrestling, respectively.
Las Vegas likes Nelson to oust Rosholt inside the MGM Grand. Do you?
For more UFC Fight Night 82 news and notes, including up-to-the-minute live results and play-by-play, click here and here.
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