Heavyweights Roy Nelson and Daniel Cormier
have been rumored to be a fight in the making. Both have wanted the
bout to happen and now it will on Oct. 19 at UFC 166 in Houston.
The Houston Chronicle first reported the matchup and UFC officials confirmed the bout as the UFC 166 co-main event on Monday.
Cormier (12-0) is a former Olympic wrestler who transitioned into mixed martial arts. He made his professional MMA debut in 2009 and has steadily climbed the heavyweight ranks, winning the 2012 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
He made his long awaited UFC debut on April 20, defeating former titleholder Frank Mir by unanimous decision.
Nelson (19-8) has been a fan
favorite since making his way into the UFC by winning the tenth season
of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. Known for his ability to absorb
an incredible amount of damage and for his one-punch knockout power, Nelson knocked out Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve in his first two fights in the UFC. He’s lost to top contenders Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Frank Mir, but has faced the top competition inside the organization.
Prior to the fight being officially announced, the two had gotten into exchanges on Twitter. Last week, Cormier
wrote up an informal bout agreement and signed it before tweeting it to
Nelson. Nelson quickly inked his signature and sent it back.
UFC 166 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston and is headlined by the third matchup between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos.
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