Roy Nelson is coming out of retirement to face Dillon Cleckler in the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle, the first sanctioned bare-knuckle MMA event in Florida.
Roy Nelson’s retirement from professional fighting seems to be short-lived. On Thursday, Jorge Masvidal announced on Instagram that Nelson will go up against Dillon Cleckler in the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle. This event, organized by Masvidal’s bare knuckle MMA promotion, is scheduled for May 5 at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
The event is set to be the first sanctioned bare knuckle MMA event in Florida and will showcase well-known fighters from UFC, Bellator, PFL, and other organizations. Nelson, who announced his retirement from the sport after losing a unanimous decision to Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 244 in August 2020, has not competed since. He ended his 42-fight professional career, which included a 19-fight run in the UFC, with four straight losses and five out of six defeats.
Dillon Cleckler, Nelson’s opponent, has an 11-1 record as a professional MMA fighter and has also found success in BKFC. Cleckler earned a heavyweight title shot against Arnold Adams at BKFC 25, which is set for May 2022. In his latest performance, Cleckler knocked out Josh Burns in just 80 seconds at Gamebred Boxing 4 earlier this month. The co-main event of the Gamebred Bareknuckle event is confirmed to feature a match between UFC veteran Markus Perez and former PFL light heavyweight champion Emeliano Sordi. More information about the rest of the lineup for the event is expected to be announced soon.