Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione do not like one another, that much is clear, but things are so bad that Big Country would like to get his hands on the former professional football player for free.
Nelson and Mitrione met inside the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage back at Bellator 194 in February, a fight that Mitrione won via decision.
After the fight, however, Mitrione accused Nelson of fighting dirty and using the cage illegally during the bout.
Back in 2012, Nelson actually bested Mitrione when they fought under the UFC's banner. Now the pair have one win over the other, and a tie-breaker is needed to complete the trilogy.
What makes things even more personal between the pair, Nelson fired back at Mitrione after their fight at Belltor 194 in response to the cheating allegations, and suggested that he heard rumors that Mitrione cheated on his wife.
Now these two have some serious heat with one another and will likely settle their differences inside the cage sooner rather than later.
Nelson will have to wait, however, as he's currently booked to take on Mirko Cro Cop at Bellator 200 on May 25 from the SSE Arena in London.
The winner will be an alternate in the promotion's current heavyweight grand prix tournament - a tournament Mitrione is still in after defeating Nelson.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Nelson expressed his desire to beat Cro Cop and hopefully jump into the tournament again for an opportunity at Mitrione (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“Any time you can get back into title contention, it’s always nice,” Nelson said Thursday during a conference call.
“But I just want to get through Mirko and then if we can get a chance to fight Matt Mitrione again, that’s pretty much where I’m kind of looking.
"And then whoever has the belt, those are my two agendas.”
Nelson went on to describe how disgusted he is with Mitrione and that he'd punch him for free outside the cage:
“He’s just a guy that I’m actually – I really am disgusted with,” Nelson said.
“So that’s a guy who I actually really want to punch in the face. Everybody else, I just want to punch in the face because I get paid. He, I just want to punch up his face for free.”
What are your thoughts on the animosity between Nelson and Mitrione? Do you think a trilogy fight will come between the pair soon? And who do you think will win the third and hopefully final bout between them? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!
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