- Roy Nelson discussed his thoughts ahead of his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA title fight with Alan Belcher
- “Big Country” gave an interesting take on Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou
Roy Nelson is all set for his upcoming bare-knuckle MMA title fight with Alan Belcher at Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred promotions. Ahead of the massive bout, “Big Country” talked about its relevance to his career and also shared his thoughts on the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match.
Alan first, then second title next
In an exclusive interview with Middle Easy, Nelson admitted that he is not sure about what to expect from Belcher besides the fact that “The Talent” has an impressive resume in bare-knuckle fighting.
“I don’t know because I mean, the thing is Alan Belcher’s always been a standup guy even when he was a MMA guy. I don’t think that it’s always been sprawl and brawl. You kind of don’t lose that and then especially, it’s not like he stopped in Combat Sports… it’s kind of like riding a bike, you just still know it naturally,” Nelson explained.
“The fact that he’s been unstoppable for the last five, six years, I mean he hasn’t lost in five, six years and he’s definitely put on size and muscle and strength and he became the BKFC champ so I mean, that’s one thing that I’m looking at is if I can get that his notch from him, then I’m cool,” he added.
“He has pedigree and you know like all his credentials then you’re like, ‘Oh, Wow!’ you know and then, depends on how the thing ends you’re like. ‘Oh, I did that!’ and then you just kind of look but you know once you get past that first one then you’re like okay, I want to get that second belt,” he concluded.
The first bare-knuckle MMA champion sounds good
Nelson is coming off a sensational Gamebred bare-knuckle MMA debut when he TKO’d Dillon Cleckler in the first round. Now competing for the title, “Big Country” could become the first-ever bare-knuckle MMA champion and he is absolutely thrilled about the idea.
“I’m excited. It’s just one of those things you know like I said it’s a bucket list… especially if it’s the first bareknuckle MMA championship you know, I like to be the first to a lot of stuff,” the former UFC heavyweight contender confessed.
Fury vs. Ngannou is intriguing
Like Ngannou, Nelson was also one of the most feared knockout artists in his division during his time with the UFC. For “Big Country,” he is not sure if “The Predator” could knock Fury out but he thinks the difference between MMA and boxing gloves could be a factor in the match.
“The one thing about MMA guys wearing boxing gloves, like from a defensive standpoint, we’re like, you have to like hit really really hard in a boxing glove to even like for us to even go, ‘Oh, that kind of hurt’ because it’s just not the same versus like no gloves or MMA gloves,” Nelson speculated.
Nelson also thinks that Fury vs. Ngannou is an intriguing fight as the first four rounds could dictate how the match would transpire.
“I’m actually just intrigued because I think the first four rounds is what’s going to decide how the fight actually goes because in boxing, I’ve seen boxers where they’re like they lose the first two rounds just so that they can get a flow going and then they go, ‘Okay now I’m going to start putting the pressure on to win the next eight rounds.’ So they can go, ‘Oh, I won eight rounds to two.’ Like they’re more strategic Whereas MMA guys, we’re just like we’re here to finish the fight first round, second round or third round,” he assessed.
Nelson is considered as one of the toughest fighters of his generation. Prior to joining Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, he has already competed in four different MMA promotions – the UFC, IFL, Bellator, and Elite XC. His pro MMA record is 24-19.
Check out Nelson’s full interview below:
