Roy Nelson
From FightWiki
 |
Name | Ray Nelson |
| Nickname | Big Country | |
| Association | Lion's Den | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight (263 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | |
| Style | Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Birth Date | June 20, 1976 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Country | USA | |
| Roy Nelson Pictures | Official Website |
Roy Nelson is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the heavyweight division. He fought for the International Fight League (IFL) where he was its last heavyweight champion. He is the The Ultimate Fighter 10 heavyweight winner. The September 30, 2009 broadcast of his fight against Kimbo Slice—officially an exhibition—was the fourth most-watched MMA match in U.S. history.
Nelson is known for his grappling skills, agility, and large girth. He has competed at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Grappling Championships (ADCC) and has trained with some of the world’s best fighters including UFC’s Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz and Ricco Rodriguez. Nelson is also a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Renzo Gracie.
He has also trained with Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den and was 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, defeating Antoine Jaoude on December 29, 2007. Nelson successfully defended his title twice, before the IFL ceased operations.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 15 - 4 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 8 (T)KOs 4 Submissions 3 Decisions |
| Losses | 1 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 3 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Stefan Struve | TKO (Punches) | UFC Fight Night 21 | 3/31/2010 | 1 | 0:39 | Won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Win | Brendan Schaub | KO (Punch) | The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale | 12/05/2009 | 1 | 3:45 | Won The Ultimate Fighter 10 Heavyweight Tournament; Won Konockout of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Jeff Monson | Decision (Unanimous) | SRP: March Badness | 3/21/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Andrei Arlovski | KO (Punch) | EliteXC: Heat | 10/04/2008 | 2 | 3:14 | To determine #1 Contender for WAMMA Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Brad Imes | TKO (Punches) | IFL: Connecticut | 5/16/2008 | 1 | 2:55 | Defended IFL Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Fabiano Scherner | TKO (Punches) | IFL: Las Vegas | 2/29/2008 | 1 | 3:20 | Defended IFL Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Antoine Jaoude | KO (Punch) | IFL: World Grand Prix Finals | 12/29/2007 | 2 | 0:22 | Won first-ever IFL Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Bryan Vetell | TKO (Punches) | IFL: World Grand Prix Semifinals | 11/03/2007 | 3 | 1:01 | |
| Win | Shane Ott | Decision (Unanimous) | IFL: Las Vegas | 6/16/2007 | 3 | 4:00 | |
| Loss | Ben Rothwell | Decision (Split) | IFL: Moline | 4/07/2007 | 3 | 4:00 | |
| Win | Mario Rinaldi | TKO (Punches) | Bodog Fight: Costa Rica Combat | 2/17/2007 | 1 | 2:38 | |
| Win | Vince Lucero | TKO (Punches) | IFL: Oakland | 1/19/2007 | 1 | 1:55 | IFL debut |
| Loss | Josh Curran | Decision (Unanimous) | Bodog Fight: Clash of the Nations | 12/16/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Jerome Smith | Submission (Side Choke) | FF 2: FightForce - Butte Brawl 2 | 7/22/2006 | 1 | 4:13 | |
| Win | Jason Godsey | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | FF 1: FightForce - Butte Brawl 1 | 5/06/2006 | 1 | 4:42 | |
| Win | Michael Buchkovich | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | WEF: Orleans Arena | 4/01/2006 | 1 | 0:56 | |
| Win | Ray Seraille | Submission | PXC 3: Return of the Enforcer | 8/28/2004 | 2 | N/A | |
| Win | Jerry Vrbanovic | Decision (Split) | ROTR: Rage on the River | 4/17/2004 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Bo Cantrell | Decision | ROTR: Rage on the River | 4/17/2004 | 3 | 3:00 | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Nelson began competing in professional mixed martial arts in 2004, debuting against former Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Champion Bo Cantrell, winning a decision. He fought in smaller regional promotions throughout 2004, taking 2005 off completely, returning in 2006, going 6-1 in those three years.
IFL Career
On January 19, 2007 Nelson made his International Fight League (IFL) debut, defeating Vince Lucero by TKO (Punches) at 1:55 of the first round. After earning a victory at a Bodog Fight event, Nelson dropped a split decision to Ben Rothwell. He bounced back with two straight victories against Shane Ott and Bryan Vetell.
December 29, 2007 saw Nelson face off against Antoine Jaoude for the first-ever IFL Heavyweight Championship, earning the title at only 0:22 of the second round due to a KO (Punch). He went on to defend his title successfully twice, the first time against Fabiano Scherner by TKO (Punches) in the first round. The second title defense was against UFC veteran Brad Imes, where Nelson ended the fight at 2:55 of the first round by TKO (Punches).
The IFL closed it's doors soon after, making Nelson the last and final IFL Heavyweight Champion.
EliteXC/March Badness
With the IFL closing it's doors, Nelson was forced to look elsewhere for competition. His first fight outside of the IFL took place on October 4, 2008 against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. The bout took place at EliteXC: Heat, with the winner most likely getting a shot at former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko. Nelson went on to be knocked out by a single shot at 3:14 of the second round.
Returning to action on March 21, 2009 at SRP: March Badness, Nelson faced off against former UFC Heavyweight title challenger and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Jeff Monson. He lost his second fight in a row, losing a unanimous decision.
It was then announced that Nelson would be a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 10.
The Ultimate Fighter
Nelson is one of the 16 fighters in The Ultimate Fighter 10. He is doing commentaries on the show for multiple websites, including weekly Q&A sessions about each episode for USA Today's Fighting Stances and a blog for SpikeTV.com.
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. The broadcast was the highest rated MMA show in U.S. history with a 3.7 rating. The fight itself had 6 million viewers.
Dana White explained the fight:
- "It was like I let my daughter pin me down and hit me."
In the quarter finals, Nelson defeated Justin Wren in a controversial two round majority decision.
Throughout the show, Nelson butted heads with UFC President Dana White, who has gone on record to say that he believes Nelson to be “irritating” and “aggravating.”
- “He keeps winning, so he can be as irritating as he wants to be, as long as he keeps winning,” added White.
UFC Career
On December 5, 2009 Nelson faced Brendan Schaub for the Heavyweight Tournament Finals at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. At only 3:45 of the first round, Nelson KO'd his opponent with a single punch. Nelson not only won the Heavyweight tournament, but the Knockout of the Night Honors.
It was then announced mid-January 2010 that Nelson would return to action at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31, 2010, where he would face off against Dutchman Stefan Struve, who was on a three-fight win streak since losing his UFC debut to Junior dos Santos. The night of the bout, there was actually a brief power outage that turned Bojangles Coliseum dark for approximately 10 minutes. Once the lights had returned, the two got to it. Nelson quickly fought through his opponent's massive reach and blasted the Dutch fighter with two perfectly placed overhand rights. The second one caused Struve's legs to buckle, and Nelson quickly followed him to the mat with a barrage of punches to force the quick TKO (Punches) stoppage at 0:39 of the first round. The impressive TKO earned him the Knockout of the Night Honors.
Ranks and Titles
- Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie
- First and last IFL Heavyweight Champion
