Roy Nelson (fighter)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Roy "Big Country" Nelson
Born June 20, 1976 (1976-06-20) (age 35)
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1][2]
Weight 252.5 lb (114.5 kg; 18.0 st)
Division Heavyweight
Reach 73 in (185 cm)
Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Team Country Club
Rank Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active 2000 – present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total 22
Wins 16
By knockout 9
By submission 5
By decision 2
Losses 6
By knockout 1
By decision 5
Spouse Jess (2009 – present)
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: October 5, 2010

Roy Nelson (born June 20, 1976)[3] is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. He last competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after winning Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. The September 30, 2009 broadcast of his fight against Kimbo Slice, officially an exhibition, was the 2nd most-watched MMA match in U.S. history.[4] He was also the last International Fight League Heavyweight Champion.

Nelson started off his martial arts training in Shaolin Kung Fu for a number of years and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie.[5]

Contents

[edit] Mixed martial arts career

Nelson has been a long time student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Renzo Gracie, who granted him a Black Belt on August 26, 2009.[5] Nelson has competed at the Abu Dhabi Grappling Championships (ADCC) and has trained with some of the world's best fighters including UFC's Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.[6]

As a member of Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den,[6] he was asked to become a member of the IFL's Nevada Lions in 2007. In the 2007 IFL World Grand Prix, Nelson became the league's first ever heavyweight champion,[7] defeating Antoine Jaoude on December 29, 2007. Nelson successfully defended his title twice, before the IFL ceased operations.

After the IFL ceased operations Nelson took a fight with EliteXC on 10 days' notice against former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski. Roy Nelson lost via KO in the second round; however, controversy broke out over Nelson being stood up by the referee in the first round from side control, while staying active and working on a kimura.[8][9] He then went on to fight for Roy Jones Jr.'s Square Ring Promotions against Jeff Monson. This fight also ended in a controversial loss for Nelson. According to the TV commentators and most MMA media, Nelson won the bout. However Jeff Monson was awarded a unanimous decision.[10][11]

[edit] The Ultimate Fighter

Nelson was one of the 16 fighters in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.[12] He did commentaries on the show for multiple websites, including weekly Q&A sessions about each episode for USA Today's Fighting Stances[13] and a blog for SpikeTV.com.[14] In his first fight of the show, Nelson defeated former street-fighter Kimbo Slice via TKO stoppage in round 2 with repeated punches to the head in the crucifix position.[15] The broadcast was the highest rated MMA show in U.S. history with a 3.7 rating. The fight itself had 6 million viewers.[4]

In the quarterfinals, Nelson defeated Justin Wren in a two-round majority decision.

In the semifinals, Nelson defeated James McSweeney via strikes in the first round again utilizing the crucifix position.

He defeated Brendan Schaub at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale to become the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. In the finale, Nelson knocked out Schaub at 3:45 into the first round with a right hook to Schaub's left temple and then hit Schaub on the ground with one punch to the face before the referee pulled Nelson off Schaub. With the win, Nelson earned a six-figure contract with the UFC.

[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his first fight since The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Nelson knocked out Stefan Struve after 39 seconds in the first round at the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31, 2010,[16][17] winning his second straight Knockout of the Night Bonus.[17]

Nelson was scheduled to fight Cheick Kongo, though the bout was cancelled after Kongo withdrew.[18]

Nelson instead faced Junior dos Santos at UFC 117[19] in a bout to determine the #1 contender (after Cain Velasquez) to the UFC Heavyweight title.[20] Nelson lost by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27), but was able to withstand the varied attacks of dos Santos, becoming the first man to take dos Santos to a decision.[21]

Nelson was set to face Shane Carwin at UFC 125[22] Carwin, however, has announced via his blog that he will be pulling out of the fight due to a back injury. Nelson was pulled off the card altogether.[23]

On 14 November 2010 UFC President Dana White announced that Nelson's UFC career would be on hold due to Nelson being contractually bound to another fight promotion. White declined to specifically name the promotion, but sources close to "Big Country" confirmed that Roy Jones Jr.'s Square Ring Promotions claims to have Nelson tied down.[24] Nelson stated on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that this is old news and that he is still able to fight in the UFC with no problems.[25]

Nelson faced Frank Mir on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130 and lost by unanimous decision. UFC president Dana White criticized Nelson's performance after the fight for Nelson's lack of conditioning. Nelson blamed a bout with the flu for his poor performance.[26] Nelson indicated that he has plans of cutting weight and fighting in the light heavyweight division at some point in the future.[27]

Nelson faced Mirko Filipović on 29 October 2011 at UFC 137 and won by TKO in the 3rd Round.[28]

For his next match, Nelson is expected to face Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143 on February 4, 2012.[29]

[edit] Personal life

Nelson has a wife named Jessy.[30]

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

[edit] Mixed martial arts

  • Rage on the River
    • Rage on the River Heavyweight Tournament Winner

[edit] Submission grappling

  • Grapplers Quest
    • 2003 Grapplers Quest Superfight Champion

[edit] Mixed martial arts record

Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16-6 Mirko Filipović TKO (punches) UFC 137 02011-10-29 October 29, 2011 3 1:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 15-6 Frank Mir Decision (unanimous) UFC 130 02011-05-28 May 28, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 15–5 Junior dos Santos Decision (unanimous) UFC 117 02010-08-07 August 7, 2010 3 5:00 Oakland, California, United States
Win 15–4 Stefan Struve TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi 02010-03-31 March 31, 2010 1 0:39 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Knockout of the Night
Win 14–4 Brendan Schaub KO (punch) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale 02009-12-05 December 5, 2009 1 3:45 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights tournament. Knockout of the Night
Loss 13–4 Jeff Monson Decision (unanimous) SRP: March Badness 02009-03-21 March 21, 2009 3 5:00 Pensacola, Florida, United States
Loss 13–3 Andrei Arlovski KO (punch) EliteXC: Heat 02008-10-04 October 4, 2008 2 3:14 Sunrise, Florida, United States
Win 13–2 Brad Imes TKO (punches) IFL: Connecticut 02008-05-16 May 16, 2008 1 2:55 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Defended IFL Heavyweight Championship
Win 12–2 Fabiano Scherner TKO (punches) IFL: Las Vegas 02008-02-29 February 29, 2008 1 3:20 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Defended IFL Heavyweight Championship
Win 11–2 Antoine Jaoude KO (punch) IFL: World Grand Prix Finals 02007-12-29 December 29, 2007 2 0:22 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States IFL 2007 Heavyweight Grand Prix Final; Won inaugural IFL Heavyweight Championship
Win 10–2 Bryan Vetell TKO (punches) IFL: World Grand Prix Semifinals 02007-11-03 November 3, 2007 3 1:01 Chicago, Illinois, United States IFL 2007 Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal
Win 9–2 Shane Ott Decision (unanimous) IFL: Las Vegas 02007-06-16 June 16, 2007 3 4:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 8–2 Ben Rothwell Decision (split) IFL: Moline 02007-04-07 April 7, 2007 3 4:00 Moline, Illinois, United States
Win 8–1 Mario Rinaldi TKO (punches) BodogFight: Costa Rica Combat 02007-02-17 February 17, 2007 1 2:38 Costa Rica
Win 7–1 Vince Lucero TKO (punches) IFL: Oakland 02007-01-19 January 19, 2007 1 1:55 Oakland, California, United States
Loss 6–1 Josh Curran Decision (unanimous) Bodog Fight: Clash of the Nations 02006-12-16 December 16, 2006 3 5:00 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Win 6–0 Jerome Smith Submission (arm-triangle choke) FightForce: Butte Brawl 2 02006-07-22 July 22, 2006 1 4:13 Butte, Montana, United States
Win 5–0 Jason Godsey Submission (rear-naked choke) FightForce: Butte Brawl 1 02006-05-06 May 6, 2006 1 4:42 Butte, Montana, United States
Win 4–0 Michael Buchkovich Submission (rear-naked choke) World Extreme Fighting 17 02006-04-01 April 1, 2006 1 0:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–0 Ray Seraile Submission (punches) PXC 3: Return of the Enforcer 02004-08-28 August 28, 2004 2 3:41 Mangilao, Guam
Win 2–0 Jerry Vrbanovic Decision (split) Rage on the River 02004-04-17 April 17, 2004 3 3:00 Redding, California, United States Rage on the River Heavyweight Tournament Final
Win 1–0 Bo Cantrell Submission (hammerlock) Rage on the River 02004-04-17 April 17, 2004 3 2:52 Redding, California, United States Rage on the River Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal

[edit] Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 3–0 James McSweeney TKO (strikes) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 1 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semi-finals
Win 2–0 Justin Wren Decision (majority) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 2 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Quarter-finals
Win 1–0 Kimbo Slice TKO (strikes) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 02009-06-10 June 10, 2009 2 2:01 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Preliminary bout

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Roy Nelson". Sherdog Fightfinder. Sherdog. http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Roy-Nelson-10249. Retrieved 2011-04-03. 
  2. ^ "Frank Mir". Team Mir website. http://myspleenhurts.com/?page_id=32. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
  3. ^ "Roy Nelson". ESPN.GO.COM. 2010-06-22. http://espn.go.com/mma/fighter/_/id/1172/roy-nelson. Retrieved 2010-06-22. 
  4. ^ a b Wrestling Observer Newsletter, October 12, 2009 issue
  5. ^ a b http://www.renzogracie.com/content/view/269/74/
  6. ^ a b "Roy "Big Country" Nelson Profile". Kenshamrock.com. 2010-12-30. http://www.kenshamrock.com/fighters/roy-big-country-nelson/. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  7. ^ "Flashback to 2003: Roy Nelson beats Frank Mir, Brandon Vera, and Diego Sanchez to be crowned Grapplers Quest Superfight Champion". Grapplersquest.com. 2010-01-18. http://www.grapplersquest.com/blogs/briancimins/flashback-2003-roy-nelson-beats-frank-mir-brandon-vera-and-diego-sanchez-be-crowne. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  8. ^ "Roy Nelson Interview". www.octagonbuzz.com. 2008-10-09. http://www.octagonbuzz.com/roy-nelson-interview. 
  9. ^ "MMANews.com Exclusive: Interview With Roy Nelson". www.mmanews.com. 2008-10-08. http://www.mmanews.com/news/82880. 
  10. ^ "Monson takes an odd decision from Nelson". sports.yahoo.com. 2009-03-22. http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Monson-takes-an-odd-decision-from-Nelson?urn=mma-149614. 
  11. ^ "Monson earns controversial win, Lashley smothers Guida at "March Badness"". mmajunkie.com. 2009-03-22. http://mmajunkie.com/news/14329/monson-earns-controversial-win-lashley-smothers-guida-at-march-badness.mma. 
  12. ^ http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/3936
  13. ^ "TUF's Nelson dishes on Episode 1". Usatoday.com. 2009-09-16. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2009/09/tufs-nelson-dishes-on-episode-1/1. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  14. ^ "Roy Nelson: Introductions". Ultimatefighter.com. 2009-09-17. http://www.ultimatefighter.com/blog/roy-nelson-introductions. Retrieved 2009-10-01. 
  15. ^ "Kimbo Slice vs Roy Nelson Results". Blitzcorner.com. 2009-10-01. http://www.blitzcorner.com/MMA/Kimbo-Slice-vs-Roy-Nelson-Results. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  16. ^ "UFC FIGHT NIGHT 21 RESULTS, PLAY-BY-PLAY, & PICS". Mmaweekly.com. 2010-03-31. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-fight-night-21-results-play-by-play-pics-2. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  17. ^ a b "Nelson takes 39 seconds to turn on the power". sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Nelson-takes-39-seconds-to-turn-on-the-power-aft?urn=mma-231470. Retrieved August 7, 2010. 
  18. ^ "Cheick Kongo injured, no confirmation on Roy Nelson matchup, nor UFC 116". RIDDUM.com. May 4, 2010. http://riddum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=716:cheick-kongo-injured-no-confirmation-on-roy-nelson-matchup-nor-ufc-116-return&catid=50:ufc-news&Itemid=122/. 
  19. ^ "Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos in the works for UFC 117 main card". MMAjunkie.com.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/19070/roy-nelson-vs-junior-dos-santos-in-the-works-for-ufc-117-main-card.mma. Retrieved May 10, 2010. 
  20. ^ "Lesnar vs. Velasquez up next for UFC title; dos Santos vs. Nelson winner on deck". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/19807/lesnar-vs-velasquez-up-next-for-ufc-title-dos-santos-vs-nelson-winner-on-deck.mma. Retrieved August 8, 2010. 
  21. ^ "UFC 117 winner Junior dos Santos gets his heavyweight title shot". mmajunkie.com. August 8, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20207/ufc-117-winner-junior-dos-santos-gets-his-heavyweight-title-shot.mma. 
  22. ^ "UFC 125 official for Jan. 1 with Edgar-Maynard, Carwin-Nelson co-headliners". mmajunkie.com. October 14, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/21013/ufc-125-official-for-jan-1-with-edgar-maynard-carwin-nelson-co-headliners.mma. 
  23. ^ "Fight Update *Updated*". shane-carwin.com. October 26, 2010. http://www.shane-carwin.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2644239:BlogPost:58868&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post. 
  24. ^ "White: Roy Nelson's UFC career on hold until outside contract issues resolved". http://mmajunkie.com/news/21399/white-roy-nelsons-ufc-career-on-hold-until-outside-contract-issues-resolved.mma. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 
  25. ^ "Despite Contract Issues, Roy Nelson Intends to Fight in 2011". Mmafighting.com. 2010-11-22. http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/11/22/despite-contract-issues-roy-nelson-intends-to-fight-in-2011/. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
  26. ^ "Contract issues resolved, Roy Nelson vs. Frank Mir targeted for UFC 130". mmajunkie.com. January 7, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/22015/contract-issues-resolved-roy-nelson-vs-frank-mir-targeted-for-ufc-130.mma. 
  27. ^ "Big Country Nelson will 'die' trying to make 205lbs". espn.co.uk. August 16, 2011. http://www.espn.co.uk/ufc/sport/story/106069.html. 
  28. ^ Haber, Scott (July 13, 2011). "Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson Planned for UFC 137". bloodyelbow.com. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/13/2273685/mirko-cro-cop-filipovic-vs-roy-nelson-planned-for-ufc-137. 
  29. ^ "Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum slotted for UFC 143 in February". mmajunkie.com. December 14, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/26546/roy-nelson-vs-fabricio-werdum-slotted-for-ufc-143.mma. 
  30. ^ "Everything you don't know about Roy 'Big Country' Nelson". LASVEGASSUN.com. 2010-04-09. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/apr/09/everything-you-dont-know-about-roy-big-country-nel/?fighting. Retrieved 2010-04-11. 

[edit] External links

New championship 1st IFL Heavyweight Champion
December 29, 2007 – July 31, 2008		 Succeeded by
IFL ceased operations
Team Rashad
Team Rampage
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roy_Nelson_(fighter)&oldid=473881238"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages