Nelson knocked Sao Palelei out of his scheduled fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161 on June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, according to UFC officials.
Palelei (18-3), riding an eight-fight winning streak, had lobbied long and hard to get a return shot in the UFC. He finally had it with the fight against Miocic (9-1), but that was before UFC interim bantamweight champ Renan Barão on Tuesday dropped off the card due to injury. Barão was supposed to defend his belt against Eddie Wineland.
With the main event blown apart, UFC officials quickly elevated the co-main event between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson to headlining status. Evans vs. Henderson will remain a three-round bout. The new co-main event is a fight between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
After that, however, the name value on the fight card took a significant drop.
Enter “Big Country.”
Roy Nelson has become a fan favorite with his brash, blue-collar style. He’s the everyman of the Octagon.
Exit “The Hulk.”
Palelei will still make his UFC return, but it will be delayed. He’ll likely return later in the summer.
“Good things come to those who wait,” the ever-positive Palelei tweeted on Tuesday night.
Nelson (19-7) is on a three-fight winning streak, knocking out Dave Herman, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo. With the rest of the top-end of the heavyweight division already occupied, Nelson had been in waiting mode, but now makes the quick turn from his win over Kongo on April 27 to fight Miocic.
FULL STORY HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment