Roy Nelson had been slated to fight Cheick Kongo at UFC 116 in July, but that fight will no longer take place. Instead, the winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 10” will face Brazilian star Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117 on Aug. 7 in Oakland.
Kongo, who recently signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC, was forced to pull out of the scheduled fight with Nelson due to a back injury.
Nelson (15-4) won the reality-based fighting show last December, and he followed that up with an impressive win over Stefan Struve in March. Nelson beat the 6-foot-11 Struve in only 39 seconds. He has won Knockout of the Night on both UFC cards he has fought on.
Dos Santos (11-1) burst onto the UFC stage at UFC 90 with a Knockout of the Night victory over then highly thought of heavyweight fighter Fabricio Werdum in just 80 seconds. Since his debut victory, Dos Santos has won all four of his fights in dominant fashion over Struve, Mirko Cro Cop, Gilbert Yvel, and most recently Gabriel Gonzaga in March.
Most feel Dos Santos is currently the fourth rated heavyweight fighter in the UFC behind Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, and Cain Velasquez. Lesnar and Carwin will meet in July at UFC 116 to unify the heavyweight title, with the winner facing Velasquez at a yet to be determined event in the future.
