Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson - The Ultimate Fighter's Biggest Fight EVER
by Nick Meyer
Spike’s Ultimate Fighter reality TV show has produced some incredible matchups like Kenny Florian vs. Diego Sanchez and incredible fights like Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar.
But in the ten-season history of the show, there’s never been a fight bigger than the one scheduled to air next Wednesday night at 10 p.m. between Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson on The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights.
As Dana White put it on the promo, this is the chance for everyone to see what Kimbo is really made out of as he goes up against an established veteran in Nelson, a former IFL Heavyweight Champion and the favorite to win the show.
The big question in this fight will be Kimbo Slice’s ability to survive on the ground against Nelson, one of the better jiu-jitsu heavyweight fighters in the world and also a big, heavy guy who can be tough to get out from under once he gets the top position.
On the feet, the difference in skill is not nearly as big. Slice gets a lot of flack for his street-brawling credentials and for winning the James Thompson fight via cauliflower ear explosion, but his stand-up skills aren’t bad at all, and he has a good amount of power behind his punches.
Nelson (13-4 MMA record) recently had a four-fight winning streak via KO or TKO, however, before losing his last two fights to top competition in Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovksi. Nelson has perhaps the least impressive physique in the house and Slice is definitely the stronger-looking, more intimidating fighter. But looks can be deceiving.
The x-factor in this fight, if you believe what the TV cameras are showing so far, could be Slice’s work ethic, surprisingly enough. He looks humble for the most part and ready to learn and he seems to be doing well in drills. Team Rampage knew he would be an early target for a wrestler or jiu-jitsu guy and focused on those skills in camp, and that’s exactly what happened when Team Rashad picked Nelson to fight him.
If Slice has progressed as much as it looked on TV, then he has a chance to make the fight competitive and maybe sneak out a win.
If not, Nelson is likely to take this fight. The only concern about Nelson is his attitude on the show so far. The veteran seems to be taking training lightly and hasn’t been very coachable thus far. It seems like he’s using TUF as a platform to get his name out there and to become a star rather than as an opportunity to improve his skills.
Even so, it seems like Nelson is too well-rounded and experienced for a guy like Kimbo Slice, and that’s why the prediction here is that Nelson wins by submission in the second round next week on TUF.
