Dana White: “I try so hard to like Roy Nelson”

“Contrary to popular belief, I try so hard to like Roy Nelson. It’s like I saw him backstage before I came out to talk to you guys. I was like, ‘What’s up Roy? You looked good. You lost weight,’ and this and that. Then I come out and hear the stupid s–t he said to you guys right before I walk out there.

He said Cormier wasn’t engaging enough. He (Cormier) outwrestled him, and he punched the living s–t out of him. How much more does he want to be engaged? He says some dumb s–t, and he’s very delusional.

He says we’ve never given him a title shot when we should have given him a title shot. Every time you get that close to a title shot, you get beat by the best in the world. That’s why you’ve never had a title shot.

I think he’s an incredibly tough guy. With his physique and everything, I’m blown away how he can compete at this level and how talented he is and what a great chin he has. But every time he gets above No. 5, he looks like he doesn’t belong in the top-10, you know what I mean?

You get him above No. 5, and he doesn’t look like he belongs in the top 10. You get him in there with some guys that aren’t, and he looks like a world-beater, and everybody starts yelling, ‘He should get a title shot.’ And then you see him fight guys who are athletic and talented, and he looks like he doesn’t belong in the top 10.”

During Saturday night’s post fight media scrum, UFC president Dana White touched on one his most celebrated heavyweights, Roy Nelson.

Nelson fought to a hard fought decision loss in the UFC 166 co-main event against Daniel Cormier, squashing all hopes of title contention for himself.