UFC 143 Fight Card: What Roy Nelson Needs to do to Defeat Fabricio Werdum

After picking up a much-needed win over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137, Roy Nelson finds himself back in the Octagon at UFC 143 against another heavyweight veteran in Fabricio Werdum.

If Nelson can get another big win over an experienced competitor like Werdum, "Big Country" could be elevated up the rankings, put into possible title contention. 

In order to be successful against the Brazilian, Nelson is going to have to get inside of his opponent early to eliminate distance and try to land strikes inside the pocket. In doing so, Nelson would be able to prevent Werdum from having any advantage with his height and reach.

Although he should be aware of not getting too close, Nelson's clinch and grappling are often an underrated aspect of his game that not many fans are familiar seeing. Therefore he won't be hesitant to clinch with Werdum and use his weight to wear out some of his cardio. Nelson does need to be careful of Werdum landing elbows or uppercuts from the clinch, or possibly pulling guard for a submission attempt. 

Nelson's submission skills have also been underutilized since coming to the UFC, as he owns nine career victories by submission, but against a specialist like Werdum, Nelson should avoid the canvas at all costs.

Mainly, Nelson will want to keep this bout on the feet for as long as he can. Werdum has shown to have progressed in his striking, but he has succumbed to some of the sport's elite strikers.

If Nelson can get inside of his opponent, cutting of the distance, and land some combinations, it is more than likely he can catch Werdum on the chin and force a stoppage.