Since his stint on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, Roy Nelson has become one of the more popular fighters on the UFC roster. Fans seem to love Nelson’s attitude inside and outside the Octagon. UFC president Dana White claims that he wants to share in that love, but Nelson just makes it impossible for him to quite get there.
Following Nelson’s UFC 166 loss to Daniel Cormier on Saturday night, White said:
Contrary to popular belief, I try so hard to like Roy Nelson. It’s like I saw him backstage before I came out to talk to you guys. I was like, ‘What’s up Roy? You looked good. You lost weight,’ and this and that. Then I come out and hear the stupid s–t he said to you guys right before I walk out there.
Some of the “stupid s-t” that White referred to were the comments that Nelson made post-fight. After dropping the decision to Cormier, Nelson said that he felt Cormier didn’t engage him enough during the three round contest.
White railed against Nelson’s review of the fight:
He said Cormier wasn’t engaging enough. He (Cormier) outwrestled him, and he punched the living s–t out of him. How much more does he want to be engaged? He says some dumb s–t, and he’s very delusional.
White, warming to the topic of Nelson continued:
He says we’ve never given him a title shot when we should have given him a title shot. Every time you get that close to a title shot, you get beat by the best in the world. That’s why you’ve never had a title shot.
Despite having his differences with Nelson as a person, White appreciates what Nelson brings to the Octagon whenever he faces an opponent outside the top five in the UFC’s heavyweight division:
I think he’s an incredibly tough guy. With his physique and everything, I’m blown away how he can compete at this level and how talented he is and what a great chin he has. But every time he gets above No. 5, he looks like he doesn’t belong in the top-10, you know what I mean?
You get him above No. 5, and he doesn’t look like he belongs in the top 10. You get him in there with some guys that aren’t, and he looks like a world-beater, and everybody starts yelling, ‘He should get a title shot.’ And then you see him fight guys who are athletic and talented, and he looks like he doesn’t belong in the top 10.
Nelson dropped to 6-5 in the UFC with his loss to Cormier. Nelson’s other losses have come to Stipe Miocic, Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir and Junior dos Santos. The current ranks of those fighters, starting with Cormier are No. 2, No. 10, No. 3, No. 7 and No. 1. None of the six fighters that Nelson has defeated are currently ranked in the top ten, and three of them (Dave Herman, Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop) are no longer on the UFC roster.
Nelson was ranked No. 9 prior to the loss to Cormier, it would not be surprising to see him fall from the top ten when the updated rankings are released early this week.
More from Bloody Elbow:
- UFC 166 results: Gross judging incompetence displayed in Tim Boetsch vs. C.B Dollaway decision
- Dana White: Gilbert Melendez’s UFC 166 performance a ‘huge step back for T.J. Grant.’
- UFC 166 results: Kid Nate’s bathrobe review
- UFC 166 results: Post-fight interviews, highlights, White, Velasquez, Cormier, Melendez, more
- UFC 166 results: Gilbert Melendez vs Diego Sanchez wasn’t FOTN, but a failure in officiating
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