Roy “Big Country” Nelson must not know the difference between a full-nelson and a half-nelson.
He must not know that one is an illegal hold in folkstyle and Olympic-style wrestling, but is allowed in catch and professional entertainment wrestling. (Yours truly is uncertain if it’s legal in the UFC as it is technically a neck crank.)
His consecutive losses to Junior Dos Santos and then to Frank Mir last Saturday night in UFC 130 must suffice as a wake-up call.
And no, I won’t add anything to the discussion about whether he is best off fighting as light-heavyweight or not.
Or if he should cut his whoppers diet to lose the horizontal outgrowth from his waist, which he claims to give him a massive advantage or two.
Whatever Nelson’s diet or best weight class is, it’s high time to amp his training in the world’s oldest competitive sport: wrestling. (Yup, as posted on the official website of the International Olympic Committee itself.)
Striking? Check, blessed with KO power—though not as polished as Dos Santos or Alistair Overeem.
Grappling? Check, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who defeated Mir in a national grappling competition years ago.
Wrestling? Maybe the same level as his punk-rocking counterpart.
From mohawk to mullet, welterweight to heavyweight.
I’d really love to see Nelson wrestle down his opponent and see the power of his punches when he ground-and-pounds!
But last Saturday night, especially in the latter half of the fight, I thought average wrestler Frank Mir was actually Georges St-Pierre taking down his opponent with impunity.
*By “wrestling dummy,” I mean the training equipment.
UFC 130 Rampage vs. Hamill Fight Card: News, Previews & Predictions, Results and More!
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