Roy Nelson Confidently Prepares for Junior dos Santos at UFC 117

“Studies done by Yale University in America have quantified the stigma that people attach to overweight and obese individuals. Among some of the negative stereotypes that these students had were that they believed that overweight and obese people were insecure, lazy, and had very little willpower.

“The world is a very unfair place and this research proves it.”—ukmedix.com

Mixed martial arts fighter, Roy “Big Country” Nelson, may have a rather unusual physique for a professional athlete, but there is no questioning Nelson’s work ethic and determination to succeed when you consider all that he has had to overcome in his career.

Despite what many may think of Nelson’s physical attributes, he has surprising speed and agility for his size and possesses the endurance necessary to finish fights—even in the later rounds.

Nelson is the former International Fight League Heavyweight Champion, winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights (beating the highly popular Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in the process), and is known primarily as a submissions specialist and ground technician, having studied and received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary tutelage of Renzo Gracie.

Roy Nelson is currently scheduled to face off against Junior dos Santos on August 7, 2010 at UFC 117.

This is my interview. Enjoy.

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James Ryan: Hello Roy.

Roy Nelson: Hello James.

James Ryan: First of all, I would just like to thank you for taking the time to speak with me about your upcoming fight at UFC 117 against Junior dos Santos.

Roy Nelson: My pleasure.

James Ryan: Let’s start with a bit of a summary…

After the International Fight League closed up shop in 2008 and left you as a Champion without a belt to defend, you then proceeded to lose your next two fights against Andre Arlovski and Jeff Monson.

You were then offered an opportunity to work your way into the UFC by way of the television reality show, The Ultimate Fighter.

Meanwhile, your fellow IFL Heavyweight “brother-from-a-different-mother,” Ben Rothwell, who also lost to Andre Arlovski, received a golden ticket straight into the UFC.

At the time, what was going through your mind?

Roy Nelson: Don’t take fights in Florida [Laughs], and that I had a great opportunity with the UFC that I needed to take full advantage of.

James Ryan: Thanks to The Ultimate Fighter show, you eventually had the opportunity to fight and train on national television for several weeks, beat up Kimbo Slice with relative ease resulting in the highest ratings ever for an MMA fight in U.S. history with over six million viewers, win the show along with a hefty UFC contract, and earn two consecutive “Knockout of the Night” bonuses in your subsequent fights.

Not to mention, you became a household name in the process.

Where does your “never quit” attitude and determination to succeed come from?

Roy Nelson: I think it comes from being raised to never settle and to always be a good person. I just go after what I want and try to make it happen. A good expression to live by is that it’s not how many times you fall that matters, but how many times you get back up.

James Ryan: Agree, well said.

Aside from your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your career as a fighter? What sort of support have you received?

Roy Nelson: My biggest supporters are my wife, friends, and teammates who constantly believe in me and my goals.

James Ryan: What advice would you give to young athletes who struggle on a daily basis to achieve their dreams?

Roy Nelson: It’s not how many times you fail but how many times you pick yourself up, and to remember that if they keep doing the same things over and over again, they shouldn’t expect different results.

James Ryan: What do you feel makes you a good role-model for young, aspiring fighters?

Roy Nelson: I am a very honest fighter, and a lot of people can use honesty in their life—especially our kids!

In this business, it’s hard to find an honest person who says what they mean and will do what they say.

James Ryan: Other than the movie The Karate Kid [Laughs], what inspired you to start training in martial arts?

Roy Nelson: American Ninja. Later in life though, I learned that the ninja were bad people. They were assassins, which shattered my dreams of becoming a ninja.

James Ryan: [Laughs] Okay, tell the truth now Roy, were you like me as a kid and actually priced out ninja uniforms from the backs of martial arts magazines? Did you imagine yourself climbing in trees and running across rooftops? What was your weapon of choice?

Roy Nelson: A actually owned a ninja uniform. The ninja was the closest thing I knew of to being a superhero. My weapon of choice was the shuriken.

James Ryan: [Laughs] I love it!

Tell me, how do you deal with negative criticism?

Roy Nelson: I try to always find the positive, no matter how bad the situation may be.

James Ryan: How would you best describe your training preparations for your upcoming fight against Junior dos Santos compared to other fights that you have prepared for?

Roy Nelson: I would say that my training has been the same. I always try to improve and sharpen my skill set.

James Ryan: How much of what you do in the ring is part of a pre-determined game plan as opposed to going off of pure, natural instincts?

Roy Nelson: When you train to fight, you execute many game plans. If you wing it, it simply becomes a game of chance.

James Ryan: What is it going to take for the fans to start taking you more seriously as a legitimate threat in the Heavyweight Division, or are you already starting to sense that this is happening?

Roy Nelson: The true fans are already showing it. I just need to make my goals happen in order to make my dreams come true.

James Ryan: If you had to fight Junior dos Santos tomorrow, would you be ready for him? Or maybe a better question is—would he be ready for you?

Roy Nelson: A better question to anyone that fights me is—would they fight me again, win or lose? The answers is usually no.

James Ryan: Just curious, has Dana White ever apologized for underestimating you on the TUF show?

Roy Nelson: No, Dana has not apologized. I don’t think it is in his nature.

James Ryan: Who do you like to win in the upcoming fight between Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Rich “Ace” Franklin?

Roy Nelson: I like Chuck. He has brought a lot of fans to our sport, so I would like to see Chuck win.

James Ryan: Thanks once again for your time Roy. And thank you even more for that fantastic visual of you running around in your tight ninja uniform [Laughs].

Roy Nelson: [Laughs] No problem James.

James Ryan: Is there is a specific message that you would like to say or people that you would like to thank?

Roy Nelson: I want to thank my fans and the fans of our sport. They are the ones that truly push and demand us athletes to be the best that we can be.

I would like to thank TapouT for always supporting the fighters, and our sport.

Also, please make sure that you follow me at twitter.com/roynelsonmma or go to RoyNelson.com.

Thank you.

This is my interview. If you don’t like it…I have others. Check them out at www.mrjamesryan.com

Carried Out Fight Gear was founded in 2009 by a group of Ex-fighters who realized that the true essence of a warrior was being lost by some people giving up. The Carried Out mindset of “One Way Out—Carried Out” signifies that a fighter will never surrender, and will fight to the very end. Leaving everything he/she has in the ring, on the mat, or in the cage.

ONE WAY OUT…CARRIED OUT!