THE CLINCH REPORT

Ariel Helwani Interviewing Roy Nelson before UFC 137

This fight puts two very different fighters against each other, both of whom happen to be one loss away from the exit door. Much like a cornered animal, fighters in these situations tend to be very dangerous.

Roy Nelson is coming of two unanimous decision losses, too ranked heavyweights (Junior Dos Santos, and Frank Mir). However, in the fight against Mir he looked rather lethargic, and made difficult to ignore his rotund figure, which had become a cult trademark. With his lackluster performance behind him, Nelson coming out of training camp looks as good as he ever has, weighing in at just over 250 lbs, while sporting a fake fat suit!

Mirko Crop Cop is secured in the history books as one of the most dangerous fighters in MMA history.Like Nelson, Cro Cop too is on the verge of being removed from the UFC roster. Unlike Nelson, Cro Cop is also nearing the end of his fight career. Long removed from his dominant Pride fights, the Croatian legend is reeling after consecutive knock out losses to Frank Mir, and Brendan Schaub. The recent knockout losses may not tarnish his career, but they may indicate its conclusion.

Analysis: Both fighters are comfortable strikers, with varying styles. Cro Cop is more of a conventional kick-boxer with vicious leg strikes. Nelson is more of a conventional boxer, with very good punching power. On, the ground Nelson has a distinct advantage, his slick jujitsu is much more developed than any part of Cro Cop’s ground arsenal. Nelson will look to set up take-downs with strikes from in close, avoiding Cro Cops legs! Distance, and patience would be the key to a Cro Cop victory.

Prediction: Roy Nelson 2nd round submission set up by strikes