NEW YORK – Roy Nelson has been around the block a few times over the course of his 15-year MMA career and, as a result, things just don’t bug him like they used to.
Nelson (23-17 MMA, 1-3 BMMA) heads into the Bellator 231 headliner with Frank Mir on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena fully aware that there are fans who just don’t like his style. And he’s fine with that.
“Everyone thinks I suck anyway,” he told MMA Junkie atWednesday’s media day. “So I’ll go with ‘I’m the sucky guy.’”
Nelson was in the process of explaining how he believed the eight years since his first fight with Mir had made him a better fighter heading into the rematch in Uncasville, Conn., a location he has little affection for, and for good reason.
Nelson has fought each of his last three bouts in the town, and he has lost all three of them – with decisions to Matt Mitrione and Mirko Cro Cop sandwiching a first-round knockout at the hands (and knee) of Sergei Kharitonov.
“Bellator makes a lot of money from being over here. That’s what I’m assuming,” Nelson said of the promotion’s regular visits to Connecticut. “I actually do not like fighting here. Every time I’ve asked, I’ve asked to fight on the West Coast. Hey, it is what it is. I feel like when I was in the UFC and got the international departures. I feel like it’s the same thing.”
Nelson lost to Mir in their first meeting at UFC 130 in May 2011, but eight years is a very long time in MMA. The two Las Vegas natives will face off again, with “Big Country” believing he’s a better fighter today than he was back then. He’s also assuming the same of his opponent.
“Am I a better fighter now, or was I a worse fighter then?” he mused. “I always try to be a better fighter than I was my last fight. So I’m … eight years better, so that means I’m a better fighter. But so is he. You definitely have to apply it to the other guy.”
The fight offers Nelson the chance to gain some element of retribution for his unanimous decision loss to Mir in that first meeting, and the 43-year-old admits that loss has given him extra incentive ahead.
“You definitely have motivation to beat a guy that’s beat you, that’s beat you grappling,” Nelson said. “It’s like any type of game where you’re like: ‘I’ve got to get one back.’ I definitely want it back.”
Now firmly in the veteran stages of his career, Nelson says what motivates him to continue is his desire to make it to the top. But the moment he believes he is no longer competitive at the top level, he said he’ll hang up the gloves.
“I can fight the best in the world – I’m competing with the best guys right now,” he said. “If I didn’t think I could compete, I wouldn’t do this. … Am I competitive? If I’m not competitive, I’ll call it a day.”
Nelson also revealed that he’s happy in Bellator, where he believes that he remains only a couple of solid wins away from a possible shot at championship gold.
“Usually in Bellator, if you’re in the upper echelon you’re roughly two fights away,” he said. “Over here you have a shorter waiting line. Over there in the UFC or whatever they’re like ‘We’ve gotta put the belt on hold for a year-and-a-half because we’re gonna make a lot more money out of this guy vs. this guy.’ You’ve seen it. Cain was on hiatus for five years, or two years or whatever. Then ‘Oh, we’ve gotta have an interim belt.’ There was so much wish-wash over there, where(as here) we did our grand prix. That’s what I like about the PFL – there’s a new champion every year. It doesn’t matter.”
Roy Nelson is (not quite) done caring as Bellator 231 approaches: 'Everyone thinks I suck anyway'
