Roy Nelson file photo: Sherdog.com
Many took “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner Roy Nelson’s deletion from the UFC 125 lineup on Jan. 1 as a slight, as the potbellied contender sped up a knee surgery rehabilitation to face Shane Carwin, only to have Carwin pull out of the fight. As it turned out, there were also legal issues at play.
UFC President Dana White told media during UFC 122 weekend that Nelson has a contractual issue that needs to be resolved before the UFC can book him again. The issue is tied to Nelson’s contract with Square Ring Promotions, the outfit helmed by boxer Roy Jones Jr. that promoted a boxing and MMA hybrid pay-per-view called “March Badness” in March 2009. Nelson lost a decision to Jeff Monson at the event.
Square Ring Promotions did not promote a second MMA event. In an interview with MMAFighting.com, UFC President Dana White assessed the situation as “sneaky boxing s--t.”