UFC 161 Results: Stipe Miocic Upsets Roy Nelson with Unanimous Decision Victory

Most people expected Roy Nelson to walk through Stipe Miocic at UFC 161 on Saturday night at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, but Miocic had other plans and he worked those plans to perfection.

Nelson pressed from the opening bell, constantly swinging the big haymaker at Miocic, but the Ohioan would have none of it. Miocic instead turned the tables, using a cleaner striking attack to take Nelson out of his element.

Miocic did a fantastic job with his jab and punch combinations to accumulate damage on Nelson, but he didn’t stop there. Miocic also mixed in an assortment of knees and elbows, especially when they clinched on the fence.

Nelson, for his part, took a lot of punches and kept coming, but it came with hit to his gas tank as he visibly slowed as the fight played out. And as Miocic racked up points, Nelson was forced to do the last thing that would help him conserve energy; he had to chase after Miocic.

Miocic kept up the strategy throughout the fight, accumulating damage with his various combinations, but then quickly pedaling out of Nelson’s striking range… and it worked.

He befuddled Nelson, while accumulating enough offense to earn the unanimous nod from the judges.

Coming off of the first loss of his career in his last fight, Miocic needed the victory over Nelson and he got it, improving his record to 10-1.

The crowd may have booed, but Miocic didn’t care.

“I won right? Okay then, I’m happy,” he said. “I was just trying to win; that’s all I was trying to do.”