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By: Tony Becerra, MMATorch Contributor
Glass Ceiling -noun-
A situation in which progress, esp. promotion, appears to be possible but restrictions or discrimination create a barrier that prevents it.
Roy Nelson is arguably one of the top Heavyweights in the division. He is currently ranked #5 in the UFC Rankings (#8 MMATorch) and has comprised a successful three-fight win streak, knocking out Dave Herman, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo. One problem that seems to overshadow Nelson's victories are his losses, which all have come at the hands of Top 10 competition: former champ Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, and former champ Frank Mir.
Losing to elite competition has worked against his favor, often preventing his progress and level of competition. It should be noted that at the time Roy Nelson was the first to take Dos Santos to a decision, in fact, his recent losses to top 10 competition have all come via decision, and an argument can be made that a lack of an effective game plan rather than lack of skill was a cause to those defeats.
Now, if Roy Nelson is currently ranked in the Top 10, why is his next opponent against Stipe Miocic? Miocic is an up and coming heavyweight but he is not even ranked in the top 10, MMATorch ranks up to 15 and Miocic only received an "honorable mention." Furthermore, Miocic is coming off a TKO loss to Stefan Struve, a fighter that Nelson holds his own TKO victory over.
What does the UFC brass have to say about that? Well, Dana White has said Nelson is going to have to beat competition ahead of him to earn a title shot. Simple enough right? That's a nice story, but the truth is the UFC will do whatever they want to sell the brand, such as allowing fighters to cut in line for a shot at a title or allowing them to fight for a title coming off a loss.
So what's the deal? Could it be that Dana White is doing his best to control the heavyweight division? Is White's disdain for Nelson so great that his influence sets fights for Nelson that are "lose/lose" situations? Or maybe White has a preconceived notion of what the heavyweight champion should act and look like.
White isn't all to blame; after all, society has their own perception of "champions" "warriors" and "gladiators." Just look at all the media, movies and TV shows and try to find one of the aforementioned that doesn't fit the typical profile. It's safe to say that a guy with a mullet and oversized waistline is not "typical." Point being that what the ears hear and the eyes see the mind believes. Many have taken note, including Roy Nelson, that to break the "Traditional Champion" mold he is going to have to go through hell and high water to do so.
Nelson has even showed his frustration that can easily be misinterpreted for humor. When asked a question about his physique Nelson responded "People who tend to be in our sport tend to abuse performance-enhancing drugs, so that's why I don't look like a typical UFC fighter." It's Nelson's fighting style lumped together with his personality and wit that makes him a fan favorite to some and a pain to others.
Back to the point of being a top contender for the UFC title. The UFC brass, specifically Dana White, has not been made a believer yet. The feud between Nelson and White that dates back to TUF 10 tends to parallel one that White had with Tito Ortiz for many years. White disagrees, saying "He's not that smart. Let's be honest. He's just not a smart guy. He's just that guy who is irritating. He thinks he's smart, but he's an absolute pain in the ass."
Being on Dana White's S*** List is somewhere you don't want to be as an employee for the UFC. Nelson has found himself on this list since telling Dana White to go get him a whopper after one of Nelson's wins in the TUF 10 tournament. Give credit to Nelson for being genuine and not playing any games 100% of the time.
However, his genuineness is likely to continue to cause tension between he and White, preventing him from ever breaking through the glass ceiling and having him sit just below the top of the division looking up.
[Roy Nelson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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