Roy Nelson tells it like it is at the ‘TUF 10’ finale

Justin M. Bowen

Roy Nelson lifts celebrates after winning Brendan Schaub in the main event of the Ultimate Fighter Championship Saturday night at the Palms. Nelson won the fight and the six-figure contract with the UFC.

By Allison Duck (contact)

Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 | 12:14 p.m.

TUF 10: Jones Suffers First Loss

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After dominating the first and only round of the fight, Jon Jones used an illegal elbow disqualifying him from the light heavyweight bout against Matt Hamill.

TUF 10 Finale

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There’s something amusing about a fat guy wearing a shirt that says “I beat anorexia.” It's someone so at peace with himself he can proudly announce the obvious. Roy Nelson joined that group when he chose one of the most hilarious walk-out music choices of any UFC fight.

After his opponent, Brendan Schaub, walked out to the confident yet rather safe choice of the club anthem “Run This Town” by Rihanna and Jay-Z, Nelson treated the crowd to something special.

As the familiar thumping staccato bass began booming through The Pearl, attentive listeners probably prepared themselves for a little taste of Michael Jackson. Too soon? No, a Jackson tune would have hit the spot for UFC fans eager to rock out before the fight, but Roy Nelson had other plans.

After the intro, it wasn’t the King of Pop singing but rather the king of the parody song, Weird Al Yankovic. Belting out “Your butt is wide, well mine is too/Just watch your mouth or I’ll sit on you,” Weird Al helped Nelson silence his critics as he poked fun at himself with the song “Fat” before entering the Octagon.

It was more than shear girth that helped Nelson defeat Schaub for The Ultimate Fighter title. There was some skill involved as the 263-pounder pummeled Schaub for the knockout victory. After winning, Nelson hoisted himself to the top of the Octagon and started stroking his belly as if to echo Yankovic’s line, “And the whole world knows I'm fat and I'm proud.” He had a lot to be proud of.

There were some other interesting choices of walk-out tunes at the reality show’s finale. Dennis Hallman walked in to The Cranberries song “Dreams.” It seemed a fitting choice since the Irish band had rocked the stage at The Pearl two nights earlier. It was odd to hear the high-pitched soprano voice of Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan over the airwaves at a fight but the lyrics seemed appropriate as they discussed dreams “impossible to ignore.” Unfortunately for Hallman, his dreams of a win were dashed when he succumbed to a brutal last minute knockout at 4:55 in the third round.

Like the recent VinnyFest battle at New York-New York where two men competed for the title of hotel spokesman, two fighters training in the Empire state opted for New York-themed tunes.

Jon Jones, a New York native fighting out of Endicott, shimmied down the tunnel to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind,” bouncing up the stairs and skipping the last one as he hopped into the Octagon. Keys crooned, “In New York…there’s nothing you can’t do.” In Las Vegas, you can’t actually throw illegal elbows. Unfortunately for Matt Hamill’s face and the fans eager to see a competitive bout between two college wrestling champs, Jones was disqualified for his illegal elbows and Hamill was awarded the victory. Following the fight, cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran revealed Hamill’s nose wasn’t broken but was cut to the bone.

Hamiill, an Ohio native who trains out of Utica, also showed some New York pride with the song “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys. This fun and upbeat song amped up the crowd, especially fighters Kendall Grove and Joe Stevenson, who put on a show for the crowd with their dance moves during Hamill’s entrance.

Matt Veach put a new spin on the use of Eminem tracks at UFC fights with the song “Beautiful,” one of the rapper’s lesser-known hits. The lyrics fit well with the spirit of fighters going into battle: “I took my bruises, took my lumps/fell down and I got right back up” and the echoing chorus of “I’ll be one tough act to follow.” Veach’s opponent, Frankie Edgar, proved he would be the real tough act to follow as he managed to sink a rear naked choke to end the fight in the second round.