As we reported last week, there’s a current UFC fighter who is interested in wrestling for WWE in the near future. That fighter is former International Fight League Heavyweight Champion and winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” Roy Nelson.
There’s some interesting backstory to the situation. Nelson has been fighting for UFC in his last few fights, but there’s a legal mess that’s preventing him from fighting anywhere now. Either before or during the time that he was signed with UFC, Nelson signed a contract with former boxer Roy Jones’ Square Ring, Inc. promotion.
Square Ring, Inc. has sued Roy Nelson and Zuffa LLC (UFC’s parent company), claiming they have exclusive rights over Nelson’s MMA career. Because UFC’s contracts typically include a clause that would indemnify Zuffa from any lawsuits arising from a fighter breaching contracts with other companies (such as Square Ring), all the legal heat is now coming down on Nelson. The legal bills are piling up, Nelson can’t fight for UFC, Square Ring isn’t booking any big MMA shows and “Big Country” needs a big payday.
Nelson’s management team thinks working with WWE could be the solution and has reached out to the company about working together. No word yet if WWE is interested in working with Nelson, but this will be an interesting story to follow.
Roy Nelson is a 34-year-old brawler known for his unorthodox body type – sporting a big gut and tipping the scales at around 265 pounds. Prior to this legal mess, Nelson had been a rumored opponent for former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
