Roy Nelson Talks About Affliction Deal

Roy Nelson has spoken about his decision to sign with Affliction.

Nelson is the latest addition to the new promotions impressive roster of Heavyweights. The former International Fight League star explained his move to MMAjunkie.com:

"It really wasn't that tough just off the pure fact that with any business if your employer's not really sound and they don't take very good business strategies - I knew there were bigger and better things. If [the IFL] had the potential to go get a Fedor Emelianenko or a Randy Couture or a top - 10 guy like an Andrei Arlovski, then I would have been 10 times more happy. But I knew that wasn't going to happen."

"With Affliction [the contract] is pretty open. I wouldn't be surprised if you even see me fighting with [EliteXC] or something. I'm always in talks with every organization. The only organization that doesn't talk with fighters that want to talk with other organizations is the UFC.

"The biggest one for me is Affliction. (It) has the best heavyweights in the world. For me, the only way I can move up the ladder in the ranks is to beat the best in the world. Or the other way is to go to the UFC and have the UFC PR machine do the work for you. And then you still don't fight anybody good."

"I'm always open for the UFC. It's just kind of the Roger Huerta type of thing. Like when (UFC President) Dana (White) says, 'I'm paying all of my fighters over $50,000 a year.' That's good if you work 20 years. But you only work maybe six (years). So it's not that good of a deal."

There were some rumours that the UFC were reluctant to sign Nelson because his generous waistline did not fit with the image they aim to project. “Big Country” is confident that he can hang with the very best in the world. He told MMAjunkie:

"If I could get Fedor Emelianenko first, I'd take it. I want to be on the fast track. The fast track to first is in a straight line instead of trying to go around.

"I think it would be a really good fight. We're both guys that are willing to bang with you, but we're also willing to go to the ground. I think it would be an exciting fight just off the pure fact that I always tell people if Fedor was 260 (pounds), he would look like me. If I was 230 (pounds) I would look like him."

Roy Nelson will make his debut for the promotion at Affliction: Day of Reckoning on 11th October at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. He will be up against Paul Buentello. Buentello defeated Gary Goodridge on points at the first Affliction event - Affliction: Banned. Buentello had originally been slated to fight Aleksander Emelianenko, but the Russian was forced to pull out at the last minute.

Nelson is looking forward to the clash:

"From a fighter standpoint, it's a good matchup. You're going to see some good banging. Same from an entertainment standpoint.

"Actually the fans actually know Paul Buentello from being in the UFC - the PR machine. Everybody knows that Paul's a guy that's legit. If [I] can beat him, then it kind of gives me a little more stature among the actual fans."