• UFC 143

Beating Werdum lifts me into world's top four - Nelson

ESPN staff
February 2, 2012
Roy Nelson v Fabricio Werdum

Roy Nelson has summed up the importance of Saturday's UFC 143 clash with Fabricio Werdum, claiming he becomes one of the top four heavyweights in the world with victory.

Nelson boasts a 3-2 record in the UFC since coming off The Ultimate Fighter, his two losses coming in one-sided circumstances against Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir. The 35-year-old's future with the organisation may even have ended had he not managed to stem the tide with a win over Mirko Cro Cop.

Now Nelson finds himself preparing for highly regarded Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner Fabricio Werdum, who makes his return to the UFC. Werdum arrives off a loss to Alistair Overeem but had previously won three on the bounce, including wins over Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Silva.

For Nelson, victory lifts him into the division's top four, and he may trust in his own jiu-jitsu to get him there against a rival who recently labelled him a "fatty".

"All my UFC wins are by knockout, but fighting a BJJ guy it may be time to use some of my BJJ skills in this fight," Nelson said.

"Beating Werdum will change the landscape of the division for me. From a ranking perspective, I think this win would take me to No. 3 or No. 4. I am here to win the world title, that's my goal.

"Even when I lost to Junior, I didn't slip down [the rankings] too much and I got a lot of fans for that fight. I'm the guy in the division who is having fun fights and I'm hoping to have another Saturday night."

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