Gather ’round, children. Gather ’round. The Church of Roy is now in session.
We all know Roy Nelson well by now. Scorned by many, loved by more. A hero to all his beer-bellied, burger-bombing, bird-nest-bearded brethren around this great land of ours.
But it’s more than just the fact that he’s a successful professional pugilist in a bowling league body. There’s also the fact that he’s weird and annoying. To make that many enemies, to succeed almost in spite of oneself, takes some seriously thick skin—no pun intended.
It’s the most inspiring mess I’ve ever seen in a man this side of The Big Lebowski. There may be something wrong with Roy Nelson. And something so right.
He’s also fighting fellow weirdo Matt Mitrione this Saturday at the finale of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. Nelson was going to fight Shane Carwin, a big, serious, muscle-bound dude who thoroughly disapproved of Roy and his slovenly, devil-may-care lifestyle. Carwin was going to teach Roy a thing or two about Respect. About Excellence. About The Value of Hard Work. But then he got injured.
Regardless, here are eight of the greatest hymns from The Church of Roy.