UFC 117 Preview: Junior Dos Santos, Roy Nelson Battle for Shot at UFC Heavyweight Title

We normally don't see solid match-ups that have a lot of bearing at the top of the a division starting off a main card of a major UFC event, but Saturday night's heavyweight tilt between The Ultimate Figher 10 winner Roy Nelson (16-4, 2-0 UFC) and surging Brazilian knockout artist Junior Dos Santos (11-1, 5-0 UFC) would be an exception. Dos Santos is being heralded as a potential future champion as he's assaulted all challengers with crisp boxing and power. He finished off Fabricio Werdum in only one minute and twenty seconds in his debut, and he enjoyed continued success by bombing Stefan Struve, Gilbert Yvel, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic in later bouts. 

Nelson hasn't been on the side of caution either. In two performances with the UFC, he's knocked out both Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve in spectacular fashion. Furthermore, both battles were aired during free events on Spike TV, possibly making him somewhat of a draw with casual fans.

While I do think Roy Nelson's performances in conjunction with where they were aired had some weight as to why this match-up was created, there is a lack of legitimate contenders after Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar battle it out at UFC 121. Junior Dos Santos was the obvious choice, but it's apparent the UFC wants to challenge any weaknesses he may have. Nelson seems to have the perfect mix of boxing and grappling to present that challenge.

The match-up also has the importance of giving the victor a shot at the UFC heavyweight title, and it will add a bit of fuel to the fire that the winner might legitimately present a challenge to either Velasquez or Lesnar if one of these fighters can finish impressively. Questions remain with both fighters, and Saturday night could be the ultimate proving ground to answering them.

For Dos Santos, the ground game continues to be an area in which he has been relatively untested in his five-fight UFC career. While there is always the logic that we shouldn't linger on discussions of his ground game due to his solid takedown defense, he's almost assured he'll find himself in a dangerous situation on the ground in the future. Nelson, who's 265 pound frame resembles that of a truck driver, not only has the acumen to put Dos Santos in danger of being submitted, but the pounds to smother Dos Santos in technique on his way to a decision.

Nelson's striking skills have been quite formidable over the course of his career, but he's now facing what many consider to be one of the best punchers in the division. Technically, Dos Santos presents some very precise straight punching and jabbing that can frustrate opponents, and his reach only amplifies the problem of taking damage. He normally doesn't stay precise for lengthy periods of time as he likes to unload his power in the form of uppercuts and looping overhands, but the sheer power that he produces normally deters counterattacks.

Nelson will need to find a way to counter those areas of Dos Santos' attacks that are technically unsound, or work for a takedown and impose his will on Dos Santos' untested grappling skills. In any case, Nelson has options, but there is a very real possibility that Dos Santos peppers Nelson and slows him down considerably over three rounds. His very rigid stance and unfaltering will to maintain his poise in the Octagon allows him to implement his gameplan quite well. He doesn't take incredible risks, and he seems content with standing, allowing his opponent to attack, and blasting away.

With that said, I think Nelson will have to be the aggressor here, and he'll either wear himself out trying to take down Dos Santos or meet a knuckle sandwich on the way to landing jabs. In any case, I think Dos Santos secures a decision win with a precision striking game on the feet that frustrates Roy to no end.