Nelson’s contract at stake in UFC 161

Which organization that contract is with remains to be seen.

The bout is the last on Nelson’s contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC president Dana White has said an offer is on the table and also hinted that Nelson jumped at this short-notice fight against a competitor outside the top 10 in the organization’s heavyweight rankings in order to fulfill the last fight on his deal and become a free agent.

Nelson wouldn’t corroborate that, saying he doesn’t have a lot to do with negotiations.

“I have no idea. I have people for that,” Nelson said of his contract situation. “My ultimate goal is to be where people want me. I want to be where fans want me and the management wants me. At the end of the day, I’m here to provide a show for the fans and provide for my family.”

White says the track record suggests negotiations won’t go smoothly.

“If he wins, he’s going to say all kinds of stupid (expletive),” White said at a gathering with reporters Thursday in Winnipeg. “That’s what we’re used to. I’m used to him saying stupid (expletive). Is it ever easy to negotiate with Roy Nelson? If he loses Saturday, he’ll be tough to deal with. If he loses five in a row, he’ll be tough to deal with.”

White says the UFC owed Nelson one more fight before July and the 36-year-old fighter wouldn’t extend the time period, so there was little choice other than to put him on this card when a big-name replacement fight was needed because of several key injuries.

Nelson’s take was different.

“The whole card went to crap, and they needed someone to save it, so they called Roy Nelson,” he said.

Those type of responses have irked White throughout Nelson’s tumultuous tenure in the organization. Nelson, a Cimarron-Memorial alumnus, spent several years as one of the top fighters outside the UFC, but White often criticized his sarcastic personality and less-than-ideal physique. White relented and allowed Nelson to try to earn his way into the UFC by competing on Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which Nelson won in 2009.

The relationship hasn’t changed much.

White sarcastically called Nelson the “smartest guy on earth” when addressing the contract situation last month. The humorous, and opportunistic, fighter seized on the statement and had T-shirts made with the quote. He says they’ve been selling “like hotcakes.”

All of that makes it a mystery where Nelson will end up after tonight.

“Win or lose, I have fans, and fans want to watch me fight,” Nelson said. “Everyone knows I always bring it 100 percent.”

That might be the only common ground in the divergent thought processes of Nelson and his boss.

“The guy hits hard, he’s got an unbelievable chin, his wrestling is great, and he’s a great jiujitsu guy. Grooming? Not so well. Watching his weight? Not great,” White said. “But people love him because he’s a fighter and he’ll go out there and fight anybody. He’s a guy who will go out and fight and try to knock your head off, and that’s what fans love.

“And they probably love him because I don’t.”

Nelson has a chance to extend an impressive run of victories. He has recorded three straight wins by first-round knockout, making great use of his devastating overhand right.

He will look to extend the streak against Miocic, a promising prospect coming off the first loss of his career against Stefan Struve in September.

“Anybody coming off a loss is probably the strongest they’ll ever be,” Nelson said. “Not only is he coming off a loss, but he’s had a longer than usual wait between fights, so I think it will be the best Stipe we’ve ever seen.”

The fight is part of a pay-per-view card headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans. The main card begins at 7 p.m.

Four fights from the preliminary card will air live on FX (Cable 24) at 5 p.m. today, with the remainder streaming live on Facebook at 4.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.