TPWW Forums - Mir vs Nelson at UFC 130..

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Frank Mir to take on Roy Nelson
Brett Okamoto [ARCHIVE]
ESPN.com
January 27, 2011
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A heavyweight fight that could have a major impact on the division has been confirmed for Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas.

Former UFC champion Frank Mir and "Ultimate Fighter" winner Roy Nelson will meet on the main card of UFC 130. The event has not been officially announced by the UFC, but is expected to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 28.

Mir broke the news via his Twitter account Wednesday and ESPN.com has since confirmed the booking.

"Who's gonna watch me [at] UFC 130 vs. [Roy Nelson]?" wrote Mir.

The high-profile matchup could potentially vault the winner into title contention. The heavyweight belt is on ice right now, as current champ Cain Velasquez is expected out until September with a torn rotator cuff.

In the meantime, Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos are expected to fight for the No. 1 contender slot this summer, with the winner of Mir and Nelson's fight close behind.

"Frank is a top ten guy according to some polls," Nelson told ESPN.com. "I think a win over him would put me one fight away or even my next fight could be for the title.

"Frank is a former UFC champ. He's a Brazilian black belt. He's been in the UFC for ten years. He's a legend in our division and I'm honored to be fighting him."

For Nelson (15-5), it will be the first trip back to the octagon since August. The 34-year-old fighter underwent knee surgery that same month due to injuries he sustained in a unanimous decision loss to Dos Santo at UFC 117.

Nelson had been slated for a return against Shane Carwin on Jan. 1. However, Carwin was forced to pull out of the fight and have surgery of his own. The details of Nelson's comeback were then unclear after news broke he was in contractual disputes with a promotional company he fought for in the past.

That dispute appears to be in the past now and, according to Nelson, never was a huge issue to begin with.

"I don't think it was weighing on my mind at all," Nelson said. "I was fighting while there was a lawsuit and I was fighting when there wasn't a lawsuit. So, nothing has changed."

Mir (14-5) is coming off a vicious knockout win over Mirko 'Cro Crop' Filipovic in his last fight in September. He was just one win away from a shot at the belt in 2010, but came up short in a first-round TKO loss to Carwin at UFC 111 in March.

Both fighters train in Las Vegas and are from there originally.

Brett Okamoto covers MMA for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at bokamotoESPN.

Nelson is good against BJJ guys cause of his gut.. If he gets on top of Mir I see him dominating with gnp..

Thoughts??