Roy Nelson’s Beard Remains Intact for UFC 166 Bout with Daniel Cormier

Leading up to his UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos 3 co-main event bout against Roy Nelson, Daniel Cormier filed a complaint with the Texas athletic commission about Nelson’s signature beard. The former Olympic wrestler requested that Nelson have to shave the beard, or at least trim it.

On Wednesday, the commission informed UFC Tonight that Nelson will not have to shave or trim his facial hair prior to Saturday’s event in Houston.

Cormier’s complaint cited Nelson potentially having an unfair advantage with the beard, especially when fighting in close quarters.

“Well, Roy and I have been going back and forth and kind of messing with me up top in my head and everything. So there’s something there with that beard, he has it for a reason, he likes having it so why not make him shave it and take that comfort zone away from him,” said Cormier on a recent media conference call.

Cormier’s complaint gained traction following UFC 165, which took place on Sept. 21 in Toronto. The Canadian commission made Pat Healy trim his beard prior to his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Cormier recently admitted that the complaint was in part mental games with his rival.

“Yes, it’s kind of tactical and also I thought those guys in Canada looked nice, but man, everybody looked nice and clean and like professional athletes,” he said.