No UFC Contract in Hand, Where Does Roy Nelson Go Following Loss to Stipe Miocic?

Roy Nelson was on the last fight of his current contract heading into his bout with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161 on Saturday night in Winnipeg.

The fight is now over with Nelson losing a lopsided decision.

So without a contract in hand, what is next for Nelson?

“I go where the fans want me,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “If Dana and Lorenzo want me to be with the UFC, I'll be knocking on Cain Velasquez‘s door, or whoever the champ is, when I'm knocking on it.”

Nelson and UFC president Dana White have never quite seen eye-to-eye, but despite any differences between them, there is also a grudging respect. And despite Nelson’s loss to Miocic closing out his contract, White wasn’t quick to write him off.

“I respect Roy. Roy has a great chin, hits hard, has great wrestling, has great jiu-jitsu,” said White. “He was a man about this contract. His contract was up in July. We asked for an extension; he said no. He doesn't have to say yes.

“His contract is up, it's up; we have to get him a fight before the contract is over. We did. He stepped up and accepted the fight.”

Regardless of that respect, Nelson still finds himself without a contract in hand, and with a blemish on his record, he has less bargaining power as well.

Having just stepped out of the Octagon not long before the press conference, a contract wasn’t exactly at the fore of his mind anyhow. Getting rid of the sting of a loss was.

“My interest (right now) is I want to get past this loss and just fight. That's what a fighter does,” he declared. “I just want to get out there and fight and get another W.

“Where that opportunity is, hopefully it's with the UFC, if they want me here then I'll be here.”

At the end of the day, as with any contracted employment, it will come down to negotiations. And that’s where Nelson and the UFC currently stand.

“We made an offer to Roy,” said White, “and we'll sit down and talk to him after this.”

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