The UFC officially lost it’s main event for UFC 161 last week, as Renan Barao will not be able to defend his bantamweight title against Eddie Wineland because of a foot injury. Rather than seek a replacement, the UFC has added a Heavyweight fight between Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic to the card and promoted the Rashad Evans/Dan Henderson fight to the main event. The heavyweight tilt is sure to be a banger while it lasts, and when the line comes out, look for Nelson to be a considerable favorite. It is commendable of both fighters that they answered the call for a fight on short notice, but it is a bad fight for Miocic, and just another fight for Nelson, who has been on a big roll against opponents in a similar position in the division. It has been a while since we have seen Miocic. He lost to Stefan Struve back in September, and though he showed some promise with his wrestler/big puncher style, he also showed a questionable gas tank. The problem for Miocic is that both his good and bad traits are a liability against a fighter like Nelson. Nelson has proven he can take a punch, and Miocic is more likely to tire than to land the big punch that KO’s Nelson. Even if Miocic has vastly improved his cardio, he will still be punching the thick skull of Roy Nelson. Nelson is on a three fight streak where he has taken all three of his opponents out with punches in the first round. ‘Big Country’ has been vocal about fighting anyone, but he has also made it clear that he wants a shot at the title. He knows he can do that by continuing to win and to win impressively. Nelson is taking a risk in accepting this fight, as a loss would set him back far more than a win will boost him in the rankings, but he has to be looking at the fight as more of an opportunity to extend his streak against a fighter with a lot less experience. Nelson can grab the paycheck and the win, but the match doesn’t do much to improve his standing in the Heavyweight division. Miocic at one point was talked about as a promising Heavyweight, but now is almost a completely forgotten man in the weight class. He is risking a second loss in a row against probably the most talented opponent he’s faced to date, so hopefully his willingness to step in and help the organization out here won’t be forgotten if he does drop this bout. It would be good to see some improvement from Miocic in terms of cardio, as he is highly unlikely to notch a win in this fight without it.
