UFC 137 preview: Cro Cop vs. Nelson

By foxsports
Published

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-9-2) vs. Roy Nelson (15-6)

In a crossroads fight for the former Pride legend, Cro Cop may face retirement if he is unable to trounce the husky former International Fight League champion.

Cro Cop, 37, made the transition from K-1 to mixed martial arts in 2001 before establishing himself as one of the most menacing heavyweights of all time during his run in Pride.

The Croatian Elite Police Special Forces officer vanquished Heath Herring, Igor Vovchanchyn, Aleksander Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman and Wanderlei Silva in Japan before he made his North American debut at UFC 67.

Cro Cop has struggled since his UFC debut, earning a 4-5 record in the promotion, which has included wins over Pat Barry and Eddie Sanchez with losses to Brendan Schaub, Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, Cheick Kongo and Gabriel Gonzaga.

To his credit, Cro Cop was actually beating Schaub in their fight this past March before he was caught by a punch in the third round.

Cro Cop will go down in history as one of the most lethal strikers of all time as he has earned recognition for his patented left high kick. Additionally, Cro Cop possesses excellent takedown and submission defense as he often manages to escape from precarious positions.

Those skills will be a valuable asset against the suffocating style of his adversary.

Nelson, 35, is best recognized for his unique physique. Hardly a stereotypical mixed martial arts fighter or professional athlete, Nelson takes pride in his immense belly. However, "Big Country" is armed with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie and dangerous punching power.

Since emerging triumphant on the 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Nelson has recorded knockout wins over Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve.

But Nelson now needs to rebound from successive decision losses against Frank Mir and Junior dos Santos. After being thoroughly outwrestled and bullied by Mir, Nelson ended up training with the former UFC heavyweight champion in preparation for his fight with Cro Cop.

Ultimately, the loser of this fight is likely to be released from his contract and both fighters are aware of the repercussions.

Nelson will need to aggressively pursue takedowns as he will look to outgrapple the accomplished knockout machine.

But Cro Cop's more devastating strikes could take their toll as the bout progresses. In recent fights, Cro Cop has been hesitant to let his hands and feet go. When he does, there are few fighters who can survive his fury.

If Cro Cop is active with his strikes and sticks to a calculated game plan, he should outwork Nelson before wearing him down and putting him away with a barrage of violent blows.

Verdict: Cro Cop via KO, Round 3