Roy Nelson wants a title shot

Fighting Frank Mir is somewhat of a concession for Roy Nelson.

But it's probably the best concession he would have gotten considering that Brock Lesnar was numero uno on his list, and he can earn a living without worrying about a court injunction.

Oh, and the winner of fight will get a title shot, or so Nelson believes. If Mir is the best route to the belt, it's not too bad of an alternative.

"I'll fight anybody, and I want to fight everybody, but whatever is going to get me to the top fastest," Nelson told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The two meet at UFC 130, which takes place May 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout was previously scheduled for the event's main card but on Monday was promoted to co-main-event status when a headlining bout between lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard was scratched due to injury.

Until this past August, Nelson's career speed was stuck on fast. With a clean sweep on "The Ultimate Fighter 10" and a first-round knockout of Stefan Struve, Nelson fought his way into a No. 1 contender's bout with Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117. Disaster struck when he injured his knee in the first round of the fight, though he hung in there for three rounds of striking before Dos Santos was declared the winner by decision.

Then his career seemed to skid to a complete stop. UFC president Dana White said Nelson was knee-deep in a contractual dispute with Roy Jones Jr. and might not fight again until the legal snafu was cleared. (As MMAjunkie.com reported in January, Nelson's problems are not expected to be an issue moving forward.)

That's not the way Nelson sees it, of course. He said a fight with Shane Carwin was locked and loaded for UFC 125 before the onetime contender had to withdraw due to injury.

"When the fans are clamoring to see Roy fight, and then a lot of heavyweights are already taken, I think all you can do is buy more time," Nelson said. "I already knew the answer, and apparently nobody listened.

"That's usually what happens when you're at the back of the bus. Nobody listens."

When you're the Rosa Parks of MMA, as Nelson jokingly said he is, you have to fight a little harder to get your way. Fighting Mir, though, could put him in the front seat.

The two have crossed paths countless times as residents of Las Vegas. Nelson's younger brother went to high school with Mir. They've trained with a lot of the same people, though apparently never together. They even competed in a grappling match in 2003 that saw Nelson come out ahead – years before he was the big-bellied "Big Country."

When he looks at the guy who bested Mir (14-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) so many years ago, Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) doesn't see much resemblance.

"You're a little bit older and wiser," he said. "In my case, I'd be a bit stronger, bigger and faster."

Conversely, he said Mir has grown leaps and bounds into one of the best MMA fighters in the heavyweight division. On paper, the former champion is on the rebound after a knockout loss to Carwin in a fight that would have put Lesnar in his sights, and most recently, he dispatched Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in a widely panned headliner at UFC 119.

But regardless of recent hiccups in Mir's career, Nelson sees a guy who's always in reach of another shot at the belt. That's why he thinks a win will line him up for a contender spot.

"I'm fighting a two-time champion, the longest reigning heavyweight employed by current Zuffa," Nelson said. "He's basically a legend of the heavyweight division. I think whoever wins this fight is going to get the next title shot."

Now that he's healthy and ready to fight again, he plans to step on the gas once again.

"I'm in my prime,"  I became a champion in other organizations. Now, I just want to make a run at this. Pretty much any organization I get into I become champion. So this is my run in the UFC." MMA Junkie