Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: On Roy Nelson and Ronda Rousey
Dec 19, 2012 - 1:00:03 PM HYDEN BLOG: On Roy Nelson and Ronda Rousey

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

Roy Nelson knocked out Matt Mitrione at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Saturday. Roy's got this crazy supermullet going along with a mountain man beard, and there's a lot of gray in it. Roy also has a huge gut. Dana White doesn't like this, as Roy looks like he belongs on the People of Walmart website. However, I personally like the look, as I like unique things, and Roy is definitely unique. I also like the fact that Roy is proof that you don't have to be chiseled from granite in order to be effective.

A fighter like Roy could only exist in the heavyweight division because of the 40 pound allowance in the division, as well as the lack of a division higher than heavyweight in the UFC. Another reason I like Roy is his pushing of VADA testing. He wants all his opponents to submit to the testing, but has been unable to get anyone to do it so far. So far, Shane Carwin and Matt Mitrione have refused to take part. To be blunt, this makes both guys seem very fishy, especially when their reasoning is so weak. It's very possible that both guys are clean, but they send the wrong message when they refuse to submit to better drug testing. It makes them seem like they have something to hide.

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Dana White said a while back that other fighters were offered the UFC 157 spot against Ronda Rousey before Liz Carmouche accepted it. Miesha Tate and Sara McMann were the two named as having declined a fight with Rousey. Both women have since denied that they were offered the fight, but Dana has since said that he knows for a fact that McMann was offered the fight.

I'm more inclined to believe McMann than Dana and Rousey. For one, this is a historic moment in women's MMA. I'm sure they would have loved to have been a part of it. For two, Dana's the same guy who thinks that Chael Sonnen is a top five draw for the UFC so he obviously has a tenuous grip on reality. And three, Rousey is well-known for talking trash about opponents. This wouldn't be the first time she's probably bent the truth to belittle another fighter.

Rousey is also fond of telling a story about how she once beat up some dudes in a movie theater. That story may very well be true, but I've heard so many street fight stories from fighters that I tend to dismiss them outright unless there's irrefutable proof that they happened. These fish tales have a way of being blown out of proportion so that the 12 inch fish gradually turns into a 26 incher. I don't know if that happened here, but it's possible. Even if that story did go down the way she says it did, she could still be BSing about Tate and McMann turning her down.

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Dana White addressed some criticism he'd heard about Ronda Rousey headlining UFC 157 against Liz Carmouche. Rousey is defending her UFC Women's Bantamweight title. Anyone who's upset with Rousey headlining needs to realize that title fights are always the headliner. I know that Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida is also on this card, but there's no way that fight should be above Rousey vs. Carmouche.

I personally think that Rousey should make her UFC debut on a FOX card. There's a ton of UFC fans who don't know anything about Rousey and how good she is. I just think it'd be much better to introduce her to a large audience before asking that audience to fork over big money to see her fight for the first time.


Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com