UFC 117: Why Care About Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos (With Video)

Greg ParfittAug 5, 2010

UFC 117 in Oakland, California is now only days away, and I, for one, cannot wait.

So far we have taken a look at three of the main card fights.

The fact that a Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves fight is not one of the headliners speaks volumes about just how good the UFC 117 card is. However, when you see the other two fights that round out the card, it makes sense.

My penultimate rundown of UFC 117 sees the focus switch to Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson.

Dana White recently announced that these guys will be fighting for a future Heavyweight title shot, against either Brock Lesnar or Cain Velasquez, which means this fight is even bigger then it was before.

Junior dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson

What's the Deal?

The surging Junior dos Santos takes on the former IFL Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner Roy "Big Country" Nelson in a No.1 contender fight.

Despite going 5-0 in the UFC and being more deserving then Cain Velasquez of a title shot, it appears that the UFC management want JDS to get one more win on his resume.

This is risky, as Nelson is a more-than-credible opponent. But winning TUF and beating Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub does not make you ready for Junior dos Santos in my book.

This is easily the biggest fight of both fighters' careers and has the potential to be a highly entertaining scrap, with both fighters carrying KO power and good ground skills.

Why Care?

Hopefully this video begins to answer why you should care about this great fight between Roy Nelson and Junior dos Santos.

Junior dos Santos, in my book, should have received a title shot possibly before Shane Carwin, and definitely before Cain Valasquez.

JDS has run through five top fighters since entering the UFC—all in devastating fashion. His fight with Nelson is already confirmed as a No.1 contender fight and Dos Santos will be very deserving of that shot, should he beat Nelson.

Why care? Because Junior dos Santos is the hottest prospect in the UFC Heavyweight division, that's why.

Roy Nelson claims that he was offered the fight because no one wanted to fight dos Santos, and that could very well be the true. Nelson will enter the octagon on Saturday against one of the top fighters in the division at the moment.

Nelson enters the fight off two KO wins and winning the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. He is certainly on the crest of a wave, surfing a career high and championing the big-belly look.

Nelson brings KO power and a nullifying top game that should certainly test JDS.

Verdict

When I began to break this fight down in my head, it's clear, at least to me, that this fight is not as close as the UFC hype machine would have us all believe.

In reality what did winning TUF and beating Struve and Schaub actually tell us about Nelson's abilities and where he sits in the UFC? He has KO power, a good top game, but his recent opponents have not been of the calibre that I believe Junior dos Santos to be.

Nelson's striking, although powerful, is not as crisp as JDS, and he has been suspect in the past against solid strikers such as Andre Arlovski.

Also, despite his surprising agility for his physique, I'd still question his gas tank if he is forced into the later rounds.

Nelson will hold an advantage on the floor, but I just have to think that JDS will at least have enough ability to get back to his feet, where his technique and power will be the deciding factor for me.

I'll say Junior dos Santos by second round TKO.

What are your thought's on this fight?

Be sure to check out my preview of the other fights on the UFC 117 Main Card.

Greg Parfitt is a Featured MMA writer on Bleacher Report and Columnist for HTRMMA.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.