• UFC

Nelson dismisses 'too fat' talk

ESPN staff
May 27, 2011
UFC 130: Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson press conference

Roy Nelson has hit back at his critics ahead of his fight with Frank Mir at UFC 130 on Saturday, with 'Big Country' insisting he does not need to lose weight.

Nelson has been accused of carrying too much weight but the heavyweight contender feels he can show his class to those who have been critical of him following his defeat to Junior dos Santos last year.

He was accused of tiring against Dos Santos on account of his size, but he claims it was due to the brutal nature of the contest that ended in a unanimous decision for the Brazilian.

"Not really," Nelson said in response to whether he thinks he would improve by losing weight. "I think usually when someone's hitting you, that's usually when you get tired.

"I think with the Junior dos Santos fight, if anybody rewatched it, there's a lot of leather being thrown. That's a high-paced, fast heavyweight fight compared to most heavyweight fights that usually end in the first round. ... The fact that we kept it going -- we pushed probably harder than, I'd say, a lot of lighter weights."

Nelson feels that a win over Mir in Las Vegas on Saturday will put him in the mix for a shot at the title.

"With Brock [Lesnar] getting pulled out, it definitely puts me right there," Nelson said. "Especially after what Junior is going to probably do to Shane Carwin."

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