When the news regarding Brock Lesnar’s return to the Octagon at the upcoming landmark UFC 200 event in July became official, every active Heavyweight on the UFC roster immediately took notice. Among them, Roy Nelson, spoke with FOX Sports about who he considers to be the “Conor McGregor of the Heavyweight division.”
As “Big Country” explains, a fight against Lesnar in this day and age in the UFC’s Heavyweight division would be equivalent to fighting a McGregor, or even a Shaquille O’Neal, or a Tom Cruise, or a Dana White.
You’ve got to love “Big Country.”
“I’d definitely take that fight. It’s definitely a money fight. In the heavyweight division, that’s the Conor McGregor. He just brings a whole other audience. It would be like if Tom Cruise said he wanted to fight or Shaquille O’Neal, it’s just somebody that’s so out there and well-known.
“If Dana White said he wanted to fight heavyweight, everybody would watch that fight tomorrow just because they want to watch Dana get beat up or win or whatever it is. Because they’re just so well-known.”
Nelson, who fights Derrick Lewis in his next Octagon appearance, said he would welcome a fight with the part-time WWE Superstar if he chooses to continue fighting after his bout with Mark Hunt next month.
“After I get through Derrick [Lewis] and Brock still wants to fight, I’ll definitely fight and it will probably be the biggest pay-per-view of all time. We’ll blow Conor McGregor, UFC 100, and even UFC 200 out of the water. Because of our styles, the style I fight, Brock Lesnar’s name, and the way I market myself and now with the UFC push behind me, it would get pushed to a whole new freaking level.”
Any Roy Nelson interview wouldn’t be complete with a headline-grabbing statement, so in addition to the comments you’ve already read, “Big Country” also dropped this gem about Lesnar “picking his opponents.”
“I think [Lesnar has] always been the guy who picked his fights. He says he doesn’t pick his fights, they give him whoever they wanted but I think stylistically it’s a good fight for him. It’s a striker versus grappler. If it’s on the feet, it’s all Mark. If it gets to the ground, Brock has a chance. It’s simple. It’s not like rocket science or anything.”
Lesnar vs. Hunt takes place at UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 on July 9 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nelson vs. Lewis is scheduled to go down at UFC Fight Night 90: Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez on July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
