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Opinion & Analysis
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Perez's Take
PEREZ: Is Roy Nelson the next face (and body) of the UFC? His look can bring in a new demographic and surprise people
As a child you are taught not to judge a book by its cover. That line is supposed to teach us about looking beyond the outside, physical features of a person and look at their personality on the inside, or in the case of this topic, the skills they display as an MMA fighter. If that popular phrase needed a picture to substantiate its claim, look no further than last season's "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Roy Nelson.
Roy Nelson was not a new fighter to most die-hards to the sport of MMA. Nelson had fought for the International Fight League as their first heavyweight champion, and fought for Elite XC, Bodog, and other various organizations before landing a gig with the UFC.
After going through the competition on the show (which included internet sensation Kimbo Slice) and doing just enough to beat the fighters on the show to get to the finals, Nelson faced off against former NFL player Brendan Schaub. It didn't take long for people to see that this guy was the real deal. Nelson knocked Schaub out in the first round, earning not only a "Knockout of the Night" bonus, but also a six-figure contract with the UFC.
In his latest bout, Nelson knocked out rising young heavyweight Stefan Struve in the co-main event of the most recent UFC Fight Night within forty seconds of the first round, earning another "Knockout of the Night" bonus.
Almost immediately, Nelson was something to be talked about. Not because of his skill-set or his knockouts of Schaub or Struve. No, it was because Nelson looks exactly like the guy who stereotypically orders two double cheeseburgers with a twenty-piece nugget with a diet drink to boot. His nickname is "Big Country," and for good reason, as his belly could honestly be a small third world country and the guy has a haircut that makes anyone from the '80s feel bad. So what's so appealing?
The fact of the matter is Nelson appeals to the lowest common denominator. Many fans see fighters like Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre and think, "Man, I could never look like that or be in that cage in my shape" because they assume you have to look like a modern day Adonis to compete. These same fans see Nelson and become perplexed as to how a guy who looks like your next door neighbor or coworker that always orders another burger with his combo could be a fighter of that caliber.
Nelson has a skill-set that includes a black-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, excellent striking, and is a lot more cerebral than most fighters in the cage. He also comes out to "Fat" by Weird Al Yankovic (a parody on "Bad" by Michael Jackson) on his way to the cage. He looks like the Average Joe as he woke up and said "I'm going to fight today" and well, did just that. Nelson himself has said that he's just a big guy that likes to fight and that his "trademark" belly helps smother opponents while on the ground, so it's nice to use it for that. He also has a strong cardio endurance which lasts for him more than most fighters half his size.
Roy Nelson appeals to the fans who just want to see an average guy get in there and take care of business. Fans are always enamored at how fit a Georges St. Pierre or a Randy Couture can look and see how muscular they are, but a fighter like Nelson makes things more interesting in that he does not have anywhere near the physique that fans would assume most fighters would have.
If promoted right, Nelson could be the next face of the UFC. The common man fighter getting in there and doing what he does best: fight. The UFC doesn't even have to mention that he's a world class fighter that for some reason had to go on a reality show to be in the UFC, or that he's been champion before, and is more experienced than most of the fighters on recent cards for the UFC.
All the UFC need to do is present Nelson as "one of the guys" and tickets will fly and PPV buys will go through the roof, all to see this big, fat guy get in the cage and knock people out. Don't think it can happen? The UFC has made it possible for us to care about Tito Ortiz being back, when he hasn't won in four years.
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