Although it's not until Saturday night, most fan's pre-TUF predicted winner Roy Nelson has to be considered the favorite again to win his contract fight live on Spike. However, unlike most TUF victors, Nelson already boasts a 13-4 MMA record, having tangled with some of the top heavyweights in the sport. So this begs the question, if Roy Nelson wins a contract Saturday night, where exactly does 'Big Country' fall into the UFC's heavyweight landscape?
Here's my personal opinion. Nelson is impressive, regardless of the lack of physical fighter apperance, or even his often arrogant comments, this guy already deserved to be in the UFC. Sitting at 3-0 in TUF and 13-4 overall, Nelson hasn't tastes defeated very often. Infact, 3 of his 4 losses were riddled with controversy. A questionable standup in the Arlovski fight while Roy was in side control on top of a seemingly baffled Andre, or two decision losses to Monson and Rothwell which could have gone either way. When push comes to shove, The moon belly belongs in this solar system.
So pending a Nelson victory, where does he fit in? I believe he's instantly on a B level amongst other heavyweights like Kongo, Rothwell, Cro Cop, Gonzaga, etc. There are honestly very few heavyweights I see dominating Big Country inside the UFC, Cain, Brock, Nog, perhaps Carwin or Mir, but the list is short indeed.
Where do you guys see Roy Nelson fitting in and are you even interested in his potential addition to the roster?