Issue 215

March 2025

Roy Nelson never looked like a fighter. He kind of looked like a guy who’d just wandered out of a barbecue buffet and accidentally ended up in a cage fight. And that’s why we loved him so much because there’s never been anyone like him. However, when the bell rang at the TUF 10 Finale, ‘Big Country’ reminded the world that appearances can lie, but an honest fist doesn’t. After Brendan Schaub got the better of early exchanges with sharp jabs and quick footwork, Nelson played it cool. He got the takedown, felt the rhythm, and then waited for his cue. When his moment came, it was a show-stopper that everyone wanted. A looping right hand to the side of Schaub’s head seemed to switch off every light in the building, and that was before the follow-up hammerfist sealed the win. As Schaub went toes up on the mat, Nelson nonchalantly turned away and walked off, belly out, hands down, chin up. That night the man who walked out to Weird Al’s ‘Fat’ left with a TUF trophy, a contract, and one of the most memorable knockouts in heavyweight history.

December 5, 2009

The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Las Vegas, NV