marcelt
30-03-2010, 21:30
Nelson Gets Ready to School Struve
In the twelve years he spent working in elementary school classrooms and after-school programs, Roy Nelson says he never had to put a kid in the corner or send a student to the principal’s office. Eschewing the role of the scary disciplinarian, he always managed to get the job done while remaining kind.
“When I spoke, they listened,” says Nelson. “Even though I was the kind of guy who was laid-back. It’s not like I had to scare the kids into good behavior. I just spoke to them in a truthful way. I think they behaved because I wasn’t regurgitating the same stuff they heard from the others.”
As a professional fighter, he’d like to think the same pattern follows suit.
“I was born in Las Vegas when it still had a small town vibe,” says the 33-year-old. “It was the kind of place where everyone knew each other and helped one another out. Now it’s a big city, and everyone says and does whatever they have to just to get to the top. They step all over each other. And I see the same thing happening in this sport.” As much as Nelson wants his piece of the pie, he says, “I also want to be known for keeping it real and honest and positive when many people don’t.”
His commitment to that ethos has served him well. Even in the face of constant criticism and cheap shots (seriously, does his weight really matter?), Nelson has reached this point in his career with a permanent smile and a healthy dose of self-deprecation. And in that vein, Big Country says he has nothing but respectful words for Stefan Struve, who he’ll face on March 31 at UFC Fight Night.
“Compared to some of the matchups other winners have had after the show, I kind of thought I was being thrown into the lion’s den,” he says. “The thing about Struve is that he’s a mixed martial arts fighter in the truest sense, and he’s definitely right in the mix. But it really doesn’t matter, I want to fight the best guys out there because it’s the fastest way to the belt.”
The fight will be Nelson’s first since knocking out Brendan Schaub in December – a win that earned the former IFL heavyweight champ a UFC contract and the title of The Ultimate Fighter. While the betting odds were always in Nelson’s favor, few could predict that his right hand would drop Schaub in under four minutes.
“I obviously saw the opening for the KO during the fight,” he says. “But it wasn’t something I expected to happen beforehand. I really thought I was going to submit him, but my coach [Dave Graham] always said I was going to knock him out. I guess that’s why you have trainers. They know better.”
Although he’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie (who will be in his corner this week), Nelson hasn’t won an official fight via submission in almost four years. Asked if he has any interest in switching things up, he sounds unsure. He half-jokes that if his role as “the suck-meter” isn’t broken, why fix it?
“It’s a cliché, but the question is: Do you want to do what pays the bills, or do you want to do what you’re good at, even if people don’t want to see it?” he asks. “If it falls in the right place, I’d rather go to the ground. But then everyone’s complaining that the fat guy is just laying on his opponent. People like knockout artists. It’s that simple, and I’m fine with it. My stand-up is my worst asset – if I can beat you at it, what does that say about you as a fighter?”
However, Nelson remains vague about his plans for Struve, except to say this (cue the sarcasm):
“At least I’ll have height working to my advantage. Expect to see me use my length.”
Struve, 6’11’’ (no, that’s not a typo with an extra digit), is currently 23-3 total and 3-1 in the Octagon. His UFC debut against Junior Dos Santos may have ended in a 54-second TKO loss, but the Dutch fighter quickly rebounded with three straight victories over Denis Stonjic, Chase Gormley, and Paul Buentello.
“He has more experience but I think my age can make a difference,” Nelson (14-4) says in a rare moment of seriousness. Although he can’t speak for the maturity level of his 22-year-old opponent, he thinks back to the time he was 28 – the age when he had his first pro fight– and shudders.
“Just having that extra bit of life experience definitely helps as a fighter,” he says. “I’m a lot smarter now than I was then. Except physically, I still haven’t grown into my body yet.” Ba-dum-bum.
Jokes aside, Nelson says that his first big test post-TUF hasn’t changed much in the way of preparation. Despite those who’ve criticized the quality of his training routine, he’s happy to report that he still works from home, aka “The Country Club.”
“I really don’t do camps,” he says. “I just train an hour and a half a day, six days a week. Some guys go twice a day, but that doesn’t mean they’re doing more. They’re taking it easy and pacing themselves, whereas I go all out.”
Nelson adds that his only objective is to sharpen his own tools, as opposed to finding holes to capitalize on. “On some days I work with one guy, another day I can work with 16 guys. But none of them are hand picked to represent Struve. Only he can do that.”
The DIY workouts, the crusade against phonies, the physique. It all adds up to a pretty unconventional fighter, but it’s the only way Nelson knows how to be. And if it fails him, he’s okay with it.
“I have no problem raising Struve’s hand if he beats me,” he says. “I’ll always be the person that can make light of a crappy situation. I’m just a guy that’s optimistic. I’m not going to be a politician who says one thing now and something different later. It’s why the kids listened to me then, and I hope it’s why people are listening to me now.”
http://uk.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=79801 (http://uk.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=79801)
In the twelve years he spent working in elementary school classrooms and after-school programs, Roy Nelson says he never had to put a kid in the corner or send a student to the principal’s office. Eschewing the role of the scary disciplinarian, he always managed to get the job done while remaining kind.
“When I spoke, they listened,” says Nelson. “Even though I was the kind of guy who was laid-back. It’s not like I had to scare the kids into good behavior. I just spoke to them in a truthful way. I think they behaved because I wasn’t regurgitating the same stuff they heard from the others.”
As a professional fighter, he’d like to think the same pattern follows suit.
“I was born in Las Vegas when it still had a small town vibe,” says the 33-year-old. “It was the kind of place where everyone knew each other and helped one another out. Now it’s a big city, and everyone says and does whatever they have to just to get to the top. They step all over each other. And I see the same thing happening in this sport.” As much as Nelson wants his piece of the pie, he says, “I also want to be known for keeping it real and honest and positive when many people don’t.”
His commitment to that ethos has served him well. Even in the face of constant criticism and cheap shots (seriously, does his weight really matter?), Nelson has reached this point in his career with a permanent smile and a healthy dose of self-deprecation. And in that vein, Big Country says he has nothing but respectful words for Stefan Struve, who he’ll face on March 31 at UFC Fight Night.
“Compared to some of the matchups other winners have had after the show, I kind of thought I was being thrown into the lion’s den,” he says. “The thing about Struve is that he’s a mixed martial arts fighter in the truest sense, and he’s definitely right in the mix. But it really doesn’t matter, I want to fight the best guys out there because it’s the fastest way to the belt.”
The fight will be Nelson’s first since knocking out Brendan Schaub in December – a win that earned the former IFL heavyweight champ a UFC contract and the title of The Ultimate Fighter. While the betting odds were always in Nelson’s favor, few could predict that his right hand would drop Schaub in under four minutes.
“I obviously saw the opening for the KO during the fight,” he says. “But it wasn’t something I expected to happen beforehand. I really thought I was going to submit him, but my coach [Dave Graham] always said I was going to knock him out. I guess that’s why you have trainers. They know better.”
Although he’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie (who will be in his corner this week), Nelson hasn’t won an official fight via submission in almost four years. Asked if he has any interest in switching things up, he sounds unsure. He half-jokes that if his role as “the suck-meter” isn’t broken, why fix it?
“It’s a cliché, but the question is: Do you want to do what pays the bills, or do you want to do what you’re good at, even if people don’t want to see it?” he asks. “If it falls in the right place, I’d rather go to the ground. But then everyone’s complaining that the fat guy is just laying on his opponent. People like knockout artists. It’s that simple, and I’m fine with it. My stand-up is my worst asset – if I can beat you at it, what does that say about you as a fighter?”
However, Nelson remains vague about his plans for Struve, except to say this (cue the sarcasm):
“At least I’ll have height working to my advantage. Expect to see me use my length.”
Struve, 6’11’’ (no, that’s not a typo with an extra digit), is currently 23-3 total and 3-1 in the Octagon. His UFC debut against Junior Dos Santos may have ended in a 54-second TKO loss, but the Dutch fighter quickly rebounded with three straight victories over Denis Stonjic, Chase Gormley, and Paul Buentello.
“He has more experience but I think my age can make a difference,” Nelson (14-4) says in a rare moment of seriousness. Although he can’t speak for the maturity level of his 22-year-old opponent, he thinks back to the time he was 28 – the age when he had his first pro fight– and shudders.
“Just having that extra bit of life experience definitely helps as a fighter,” he says. “I’m a lot smarter now than I was then. Except physically, I still haven’t grown into my body yet.” Ba-dum-bum.
Jokes aside, Nelson says that his first big test post-TUF hasn’t changed much in the way of preparation. Despite those who’ve criticized the quality of his training routine, he’s happy to report that he still works from home, aka “The Country Club.”
“I really don’t do camps,” he says. “I just train an hour and a half a day, six days a week. Some guys go twice a day, but that doesn’t mean they’re doing more. They’re taking it easy and pacing themselves, whereas I go all out.”
Nelson adds that his only objective is to sharpen his own tools, as opposed to finding holes to capitalize on. “On some days I work with one guy, another day I can work with 16 guys. But none of them are hand picked to represent Struve. Only he can do that.”
The DIY workouts, the crusade against phonies, the physique. It all adds up to a pretty unconventional fighter, but it’s the only way Nelson knows how to be. And if it fails him, he’s okay with it.
“I have no problem raising Struve’s hand if he beats me,” he says. “I’ll always be the person that can make light of a crappy situation. I’m just a guy that’s optimistic. I’m not going to be a politician who says one thing now and something different later. It’s why the kids listened to me then, and I hope it’s why people are listening to me now.”
http://uk.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=79801 (http://uk.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=79801)