Brock Lesnar: Why Roy Nelson Fight Will Boost Him Back To Top of UFC

Brock Lesnar was at the top of the MMA world just a few short weeks ago.

But at UFC 121, Lesnar was dominated by Cain Velasquez, losing the fight in the first round and his UFC Heavyweight Championship in the process.

Now that Lesnar has been brought back to Earth a little bit, where does the UFC's biggest attraction go from here?

Well, ever since the loss, it's looked like there are two options for Lesnar's next fight: Frank Mir or Roy Nelson.

But Lesnar reportedly turned down a third fight with Mir. Why?

Lesnar has personally requested a fight with Roy Nelson.

It seems like there's a good chance that fight will happen, and it just might be the right choice for Lesnar's long-term future.

Here are the top 10 reasons why a Lesnar-Nelson fight will boost Lesnar back to the top of the UFC.

10. Who Else Is There?

Brock Lesnar can't fight Cain Velasquez or Junior dos Santos, he just beat Shane Carwin and he's already faced Frank Mir twice.

So when you consider all that, who else is there for him to fight?.

I'm not sure another win over Mir proves much, but a victory over Roy Nelson shows that Lesnar can beat a different type of opponent.

9. This Fight Will Draw

There's actually a bit of a history between Brock Lesnar and Roy Nelson.

When Lesnar was out with a career-threatening illness, Nelson told The MMA Hour, "All I know is, other fighters have been stripped of the belt. So why can't he (Lesnar) follow right along with everybody else?" 

Nelson added, "I would have stripped him of his belt and left (Shane Carwin) to fight for the real championship and not the TV championship."

Well, it's clear Nelson was calling out Lesnar, so this fight should draw like all of Lesnar's fights do.

The UFC has to have Lesnar in high-profile fights, because if he's not, the UFC is the biggest loser here.

8. Is Nelson a Better All-Around Fighter?

I'll elaborate on some of the reasons why Roy Nelson is a more complete fighter than Brock Lesnar later in the slideshow.

But just to clarify, I'm not saying that Nelson is clearly better than Lesnar in all aspects of fighting, just that his all-around game is better than most people think.

As we saw in his fight with Cain Velasquez, the relatively inexperienced Lesnar struggles in plenty aspects of his game.

But Nelson is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, more agile than people would expect and a very good grappler.

7. No One Knows Who Will Win

One of the best things about sports is the unpredictability that comes along with it.

And as much as we can sit here and weigh who's better at what aspects of MMA, we'll never really know until the fight actually happens.

You want Brock Lesnar and Roy Nelson to prove they're for real? 

Then, put them in a fight against each other, and whichever guy wins will take a giant step toward Cain Velásquez's--or Junior dos Santos'--UFC Heavyweight Championship. 

6. Stand Up and Strike Him

In Brock Lesnar's first six UFC fights, he connected on just 44 percent of his standup strikes.

And although that's a low percentage by MMA standards, that number is even inflated by the fact that Lesnar connects on 66 percent of his kicks.

We'll see whether or not Lesnar backs down from Nelson, who has an iron jaw and could certainly take advantage of Lesnar's average stand-up game.

If Lesnar can show improvement in his abilities off the mat, we could see him shoot right back up to the top of the UFC.

5. A Chance To Prove He Can Win By Boxing

Brock Lesnar loves to take his opponents down to the mat to finish them off, but I'm thinking that he probably won't be able to do that against Roy Nelson.

So why not focus more on his boxing technique and tactics prior to their fight?

It's a chance for Lesnar to prove that he can stand up, square up and put Nelson on his a** with a good punch rather than a submission or strikes on the ground.

4. A Chance To Improve His Punch Percentage

Not even taking into account the beatdown that he took from Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar hasn't exactly the been the most effective puncher in the UFC.

Yeah, he can send his opponent to the ground with one punch. That might be all it takes.

The problem is that he has a difficult time connecting with them.

In his first six career fights, Lesnar landed just 30 percent of his punches in the stand-up game.

Against Nelson, he absolutely has to prove that he can land more than that if he wants to stay at the top of the heavyweight ladder.

3. Roy Nelson Hung Tough With Junior Dos Santos

There's certainly a difference between hanging tough and almost beating someone in a good fight.

But Roy Nelson held his own against Junior dos Santos at UFC 117.

Even though Nelson lost by unanimous decision, he was the first fighter to take dos Santos to a decision, so it's not like he's some chum off the streets.

2. Take a Punch, Brock

One of the biggest criticisms I've heard about Brock Lesnar is his inability to take punches, his "weak chin" if you will.

Well, Roy Nelson proved against Brendan Schaub in The Ultimate Fighter finale and Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night 21 that he packs a pretty big punch.

So Lesnar better be ready.

By the way, I'm not saying those fighters are of the same quality as Lesnar, I'm just saying Nelson can knock people out and this is a good opportunity for Lesnar to prove he can take a punch.

1. Roy Nelson Is Brock Lesnar's Toughest Test Remaining

Unfortunately, this fight couldn't take place until well into next year because Brock Lesnar has a six-month medical suspension.

But Lesnar said it himself: this is the toughest test out there for him, and he wants it.

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira or Cheick Kongo? I think Lesnar could take them.

Roy Nelson? I think he could knock Lesnar out.

Lesnar is a true competitor, who would be putting his future as a top dog in the UFC on the line if he faced a guy that has a pretty decent shot at beating him.

Even if you don't like the guy, you have to respect that.