UFC 137 Fight Card: What a Loss Would Mean for Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson currently finds himself in limbo while placed in the heavyweight division. 

The 265-pound Nelson was given a lot of confidence from UFC management on his way into the company, and he exceeded expectations by winning back-to-back bouts over Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve. 

Wearing a mullet and sporting a big gut was making the rotund heavyweight become one of the company's attractive personalities, and he was quickly making a name for himself in the division. 

But his next bout against Brazilian knockout artist Junior dos Santos exposed some flaws in Nelson's overall game, which knocked him down a few notches on the totem pole. The following bout with Frank Mir, Nelson struggled once again. This time, however, showing his physique was rather humorous as opposed to intimidating, and it forced the UFC to strongly consider moving him down to 205 pounds. 

So, Nelson now finds himself sitting at 2-2 in the UFC and is slated to face Mirko Cro Cop in an intriguing heavyweight bout. 

Surely Cro Cop is a shell of his former self, but he can still compete and has shown signs of life in his past few bouts. This bout will be able to indicate where Nelson fits exactly among the heavyweight rankings, and if he is to lose Saturday night, his days as a legitimate contender could be numbered. 

As a result, the UFC could ask Nelson to improve his diet and transition to the light heavyweight division; otherwise, three consecutive losses could spell the end of Nelson's tenure in the UFC. 

Nelson's time as a serious contender might be running out, and UFC 137 could be his last chance to convince the UFC that he has what it takes.