UFC 137 Fight Card: Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Cro Cop, Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

At the end of this month, mixed martial arts legend Mirko Cro Cop may be fighting in his farewell bout against Ultimate Fighter season 12 winner Roy Nelson.

Both fighters are riding tough, two-fight losing streaks, with another loss possibly resulting in a pink slip from UFC President Dana White.

With one man fighting for his legacy and another fighting for his job, this battle between these two prominent heavyweights is sure to cause fireworks at UFC 137.

Here is the head-to-toe breakdown of this intriguing bout.

Striking

A decorated K-1 kickboxer, Mirko Cro Cop is one of the greatest strikers in MMA history.

Possessing roundhouse kicks that can knock out an opponent with either leg, Cro Cop has amassed over 60 knockout victories between his MMA, boxing and kickboxing records.

Holding prominent knockout victories over Wanderlei Silva, Mark Coleman and Heath Herring, just to name a few, Cro Cop remains one of the best strikers in the game.

Nelson, a skilled grappler, has much to learn in his striking game but also possesses some impressive knockout wins. Nelson has finished the likes of Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub in the UFC, with eight total knockout wins out of 15 career victories.

Despite his power, technically speaking, Nelson is not the best striker, having been out-matched by Frank Mir and Junior dos Santos in his last two fights.

The advantage here is clear.

Advantage: Cro Cop

Grappling

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under renowned master Renzo Gracie, Nelson has a huge advantage on the mats.

A quarterfinalist at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships in 2003, Nelson has a wealth of grappling knowledge and experience.

Nelson also holds five career submission wins.

Cro Cop is more known as a striker, but he does possess solid takedown defense and even a few tricky submissions up his sleeve, having most recently submitted Pat Barry at UFC 115.

Advantage: Nelson

Strength and Conditioning

At age 37, Cro Cop is still in prime fighting shape, always staying well-conditioned and never really tiring in his bouts.

Sporting a six pack on his solid six-foot frame, Cro Cop looks like he can handle a three-round war, despite only going the distance in six of his 39 fights.

Nelson is the exact opposite, proudly displaying his gut after every win.

He has been often criticized for his lack of conditioning, a factor that White believed cost Nelson his fight against Frank Mir.

Not even a question who has the advantage here.

Advantage: Cro Cop

Chin

One of the hardest-hitting strikers in his prime, Cro Cop has been susceptible to the knockout blow himself now that he is getting up in age.

In his lackluster snoozefest with Frank Mir, a third-round knee floored the legendary Cro Cop. Against Brendan Schaub, another third-round blow sent him lying on the canvas.

Going further back, Cro Cop was hoisted by his own petard against renowned grappler Gabriel Gonzaga, eating a huge head kick that completely knocked him out.

Nelson has proven to have a great chin, not letting either Frank Mir or Junior dos Santos, two solid heavyweight strikers, put him to sleep.

Although he may gas in the later rounds, Nelson never quits and has only been knocked out once in his entire career.

Advantage: Nelson

Experience

Both fighters have a wealth of MMA experience to their credit, having fought almost every great heavyweight over the years.

Cro Cop has had some of the most legendary battles in MMA history, taking on the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko and Minotauro Nogueira, just to name a few.

Nelson has also faced some of the best during his career, going to war with Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski.

But with his lengthy background in kickboxing and boxing as well, Cro Cop has the edge.

Advantage: Cro Cop

Variables

A big variable in this match is whether or not Nelson will look to take this fight to the ground. 

Nelson has a real shot at knocking Cro Cop out, with his chin not being as good as it used to be.  But Nelson might not want to risk losing another stand-up war.

He also has a huge advantage on the mats and would be wise to take the striking-oriented Cro Cop down.

For Cro Cop, this is probably his last fight in the UFC.  At 37 years of age, who knows how much he has left in the tank.

He will definitely come out swinging, hoping to end his career on a high note.

Prediction

This battle is actually an intriguing matchup with one man fighting for his legacy and another looking to stay viable—and employed—in the UFC.

Nelson will have the advantage in grappling and will stand toe-to-toe with Cro Cop because of his great chin.

Although being the better technical striker, Cro Cop has been susceptible to late in-fight knockouts in the past, a very real possibility against Nelson.

I hate to see another legend get decimated as he retires, but Nelson may just be too much for Cro Cop.

Prediction: Nelson via third-round KO