Roy Nelson sounds confident heading into his upcoming rematch with Matt Mitrione.
Nelson had an interesting description of the Mitrione bout in a promo aired on the Bellator 193 broadcast Friday night. He implied that the Mitrione bout, which is one of the four first-round matchups in the Bellator heavyweight Grand Prix, will be a very easy contest for “Big Country.”
“[I’m not going to get knocked out], because I already know I’m gonna win; it’s like beating up your sister,” Nelson said. “It’s one of those things that I’m excited for, and the fans are gonna be really excited.”
Nelson is set to meet Mitrione for the second time in the Bellator 194 main event. The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Feb. 16.
The pair of heavyweights squared off for the first time at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale in December 2012. Nelson knocked Mitrione out in the first round. However, this time, Mitrione will likely be favored against Nelson.
Nelson left the UFC after becoming a free agent following a decision loss to top heavyweight Alexander Volkov last April. He made his Bellator debut last September and picked up a decision win over Javy Ayala.
Mitrione left the UFC a year earlier. After a stoppage loss to Travis Browne in January 2016, he became a free agent and signed with Bellator two months later. He is 3-0 in his new home, his most high-profile win being a stoppage of heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator: NYC last summer.
The winner of Nelson vs. Mitrione 2 will face the winner of light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader vs. Mohammed Lawal later this year.
In the first tournament bout, Chael Sonnen advanced to the semifinals on the other side of the bracket with a decision win over Quinton Jackson last weekend.