UFC 143 Fight Card: Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson Destined to Go the Distance

Former Pride and Strikeforce fighter Fabricio Werdum will try his hand at the UFC once again on Saturday night at UFC 143 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Brazilian Werdum (14-5-1) is set to take on American heavyweight Roy Nelson (16-6), who is 3-2 in the UFC, having won his last fight at UFC 137 back in October 2011 over Mirko Filipovic via TKO.

Nelson's last three fights have all made it to the third round, which suggests that the 35-year-old UFC veteran and the 34-year-old Werdum will give fans their money's worth leading up to the main event featuring Nick Diaz taking on Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight crown.

Werdum's last bout was a loss, but it came via unanimous decision against UFC newcomer Alistair Overeem, who made mincemeat of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut last December at UFC 141.

Werdum is 2-2 in four previous UFC fights, having lost his last one via KO back in October 2008 at UFC 90 against Junior dos Santos. 

Both fighters have fallen off somewhat as of late, looking far from the best the heavyweight division has to offer, and Saturday night their desperation to remain contenders will produce an explosive fight and one that will go the distance.

Werdum will have a distinct height and reach advantage however, as he is four inches taller than Nelson but entering the fight at roughly the same weight, 246 pounds.

In total, seven of Nelson's 22 fights have gone the distance and ended in decisions, while six of Werdum's 20 bouts have run the course to end via decision. 

Given the quality of Saturday night's heavyweight matchup, and the resume of both fighters, it's safe to say that Werdum and Nelson will go the distance, only adding to the anticipating for the card's main event.