Why Does Dana White Hate Roy Nelson?
by Kid Nate on Nov 5, 2009 4:52 PM EST
in MMA News
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Sergio Non gets Roy Nelson on the record re: his confrontation with Dana White on last night's TUF episode:
We've talked before about the dynamic between you and UFC President Dana White. In this episode specifically, he seemed annoyed that you wanted to go through every potential opponent's style, instead of just telling him who you want to fight? Do you think he had a point, that you should have just told him who you wanted to fight and left it at that?
Not really. That's where the TV magic cut out (some context). When Dana asked me who I wanted to fight, I said, "I'll fight anybody."
And he's like, "No, you've got to pick."
And I'm like, "I'll fight anybody."
And then he's like, "Who do you want to fight?"
And I'm like, "Well, let's just go down the list. You pick who you think you want me to fight." And I went down the list (with) everybody's weaknesses, like how I beat that person or whatnot.
Then that's when he came back with the Kimbo comment, saying I wasn't that spectacular. And then I came back with, "Well, for the last nine seasons, that's what you've told every fighter on the show to do, is just get the 'W' and make sure you don't get hurt. I was doing what I was told the last nine seasons." So I was just being a good boy.
And it just made sense. You could even see it on Dana's face afterwards, where when I explained myself, I just made sense. You can't argue with sense.
Why do you think he gets bugged by you so much?
I really don't know. That's something you'd have to talk to Dana about.
Poor Roy. Let's refesh our memory, how does Dana feel about Roy?
Roy Nelson is a moron. Interview him sometime, you'll find out. Roy Nelson is an idiot, he's a complete jackass.
Dana's reasons are probably business-oriented. Here's a speculative list:
- Roy's hard to market. He just doesn't look impressive. It would take a massive investment in marketing just to explain to people no really, this slobby looking fat guy is actually a very skilled and well-conditioned athlete. I saw Roy's CBS fight against Andrei Arlovski in a sports bar filled with casual fans. They were not impressed and he made Arlovski look bad too.
- Roy beat the extremely marketable super-star Kimbo Slice before a huge Spike TV audience in a miserably boring fight. The entire mass audience left saying "Damn, that fat white guy just held Kimbo down, what bulls**t."
- Roy's a dangerous fighter who really is a threat to beat all but the very elite of the heavyweight division. And even in a loss, he could damage the brand equity of any fighter who has trouble beating him. And most will.
- The huge new audience that tuned in to TUF 10 to watch Kimbo will not transfer to Roy Nelson. If he lives up to expectations and wins the Ulimate Fighter contract, expect the weakest push a TUF winner has received since Travis Lutter won season 4.
- Roy thinks he's all that. Roy's ego is commensurate with his accomplishments in MMA and since he's been frozen out of the UFC far longer than virtually any comparably talented fighter would have been (except Ben Rothwell) and hasn't fought in Japan, he's been feasting on weak competition and his ego has ballooned. Unfortunately for Roy, this really grates on Dana's nerves.
- Personally I like Roy Nelson and enjoy watching him fight, but I'm come to realize that short of a major, very well-funded PR effort propelled by a series of dramatic victories over several scary monsters, he'll never be marketable to casual fans and needs to carry himself accordingly or face the wrath of Dana and have a foreshortened UFC career.
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He's annoying because he's so damn self-impressed.
He takes every opportunity possible to tell everyone how much he knows about fighting and coaching. You don’t hear legends like Couture and Nog and Fedor saying any crap like that.
I assume Dana hates it because Roy is insulting his intelligence by spouting off on all the little facts he knows.
Dana has been doing this crap from the beginning and he doesn’t need a professor treating him like a noob.
by judonerd on Nov 5, 2009 5:01 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Dana hasn’t been doing this from the beginning…
- mixed, not shaken
Editor-in-Chief: All About Russian Mixed Martial Arts (Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander, M-1 Global,etc)
Roy Nelson's first professional fight was in 2004...
so, at the very least, Dana has been doing this allot longer than Roy has.
Fair. Somehow thought that Nelson was more like 10 years in.
- mixed, not shaken
Editor-in-Chief: All About Russian Mixed Martial Arts (Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander, M-1 Global,etc)
"You don’t hear legends like Couture and Nog and Fedor saying any crap like that."
Actually, I don’t speak Russian, so Fedor could be telling us in his interviews how he will overthrow Congress, set up a dictatorship and make us all eat potato cakes and vodka for breakfast every Tuesday for all I know.
"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK
by duck on Nov 5, 2009 5:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I hate potato cakes.
I’m cool with everything else though.
Fedor doesn’t say this kind things. But Aleks does – A LOT!..
- mixed, not shaken
Editor-in-Chief: All About Russian Mixed Martial Arts (Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander, M-1 Global,etc)
I posted a comment awhile back about how I thought Dana’s dislike for Roy was being manufactured. It gives him a story line as the guy Dana doesn’t want but he’s too good to get rid of. It has WWF written all over it.
by John Nash on Nov 5, 2009 5:01 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
If this was any more fake, Roy would come to the Octagon, pound two beers, then flip off Dana.
BOOSH
Dana doesn’t like it when fighters play the “dick” card…
unless said fighters can sell a million PPVs.
"It would appear that the strain was more than he could bear".- Doc Holliday
I think 600k PPV buys is the official dick cut-off line. That’s about what Rampage is good for as a headliner vs. a top 6-10 LHW. 1 million PPV upgrades your dick card into Raging Asshole Permit, and 1.5 million is the get out of being a douchebag free card. For examples see Penn, BJ, and Lesnar, Brock.
Rampage did 350,000 buys vs. Jardine.
by ufc4 on Nov 5, 2009 10:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I found Roy's explination
just as annoying as I’m sure Dana did. It’s a simple question: Who do you want to fight? Yet, he seems to go out of his way trying NOT to answer the question. Even in this post-interview he still didn’t get it. It’s an easy request. Move your lips, push air out, and make sounds that resemble a person’s name.
I don’t know.
Roy didn’t say anything different than dozens of guys before him … “I don’t care. I’ll fight anyone you put in front of me”. When Ross Pointon does it, he gets called a warrior. When Roy Nelson does it, he gets called annoying and arrogant. Why is that? Is it because Pointon was a charmingly self-deluded underdog while Nelson is a overwhelming favorite?
Pointon: “Put whoever you want in front of me, I’ll kick his ass!”
Nelson: “I don’t care because I can beat anybody, and right now I’ll tell you how much better I am than everybody by analyzing their fighting style, blah blah blah.”
There is a difference.
by Michaelthebox on Nov 5, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
Because Roy explains why he’ll fight anyone?
by Swordslasher on Nov 5, 2009 6:18 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Because Roy has a belly.
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
I didn’t mean he had one in a jar that he carries around.
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
by mythbuster on Nov 5, 2009 6:38 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
this actually brings up a good point about large bellies
at what point do you give up with the pants under and go with the pants around the equator?
In any case though, he’s a doughboy and though it doesn’t discount his skills, he could be more formidable if he put on muscle under that fat.
by Austin Martin on Nov 5, 2009 6:40 PM EST up reply actions
I would say, MMA it goes under, Boxing it goes over.
And maybe he has muscle under that fat.
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
true.
maybe he does, but he could certainly have more. It just doesn’t seem like he trains hard. the guy looks more the part of a competitive eater. and in no way do i want to speculate about his training habits or want to discount his skills, but it just can’t be entirely benefical to be that fat. fat doesn’t give you superpowers.
by Austin Martin on Nov 5, 2009 6:46 PM EST up reply actions
Does his fat interfere with his fighting? If yes, provide proof please. If no, then it really shouldn’t be anyone’s problem with how he chooses to look. If you like burgers, and can win fights, why stop eating them burgers?
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
The explanation was pretty unnecessary though. If he had responded with something like, “no, really, anyone. Give me whoever you think is the toughest, etc” that would be pretty cool. But the breakdown of every single guy left was sort of wanky. Plus, I don’t understand why he needed to look at pictures to finally choose. It’s six of his teammates and Marcus Jones. You need a photo to remember who’s who?
If his explanation is true, then he tried that. He says that he tried a few times to say “anyone” and Dana pressed to name names, so he went down the list.
When Dana asked me who I wanted to fight, I said, “I’ll fight anybody.”
And he’s like, “No, you’ve got to pick.”
And I’m like, “I’ll fight anybody.”
And then he’s like, “Who do you want to fight?”
And I’m like, “Well, let’s just go down the list. You pick who you think you want me to fight.”
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
the article pretty much says it all
nelson, to the casual viewer, doesn’t look like a star and won’t beat the top competition. he’d be good to keep around as a heel, but unless he’s getting finished quickly by more marketable people, you wouldn’t want to risk the chance of someone like him beating an up and comer or getting in the way of a title shot, because the ufc has nothing to gain
by Austin Martin on Nov 5, 2009 6:44 PM EST up reply actions
And thus my problem with it all. At what point does (or should) marketability trump skill? At what point does it turn from sport to sports-entertainment?
When I started watching, which wasn’t all that long ago, the general idea was to put the best against the best, and the chips fall where they may. And now we have, “you wouldn’t want to risk the chance of someone like him beating an up and comer or getting in the way of a title shot”.
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
by mythbuster on Nov 5, 2009 7:07 PM EST up reply actions 12 recs
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Rec’d.
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Nov 5, 2009 7:50 PM EST up reply actions
I feel your pain but really, Zuffa has always played favorites and pushed the guys they wanted to push. It has always been sports entertainment w/them and maybe MMA as a whole.
Its hard to argue that these kind of tactics haven’t been good for Zuffa’s business. However, the spirit of true sport is lost when Dana promises that there will be no grappling or sub attempts and that these guys “are gonna stand in front of each other and bang”.
It also troubles me when on TUF he calls a sloppy Tough Man-looking contest between two guys gassed out of their minds a “great fight” but then shits on Nelson for using superior technique and girth to overwhelm his opponent.
"It would appear that the strain was more than he could bear".- Doc Holliday
by MyFistYourFace on Nov 5, 2009 8:30 PM EST up reply actions
How is the UFC making the decision that “star fighters” don’t fight tough competition because it might derail their drawing power ANY different from good boxers dodging each other to protect their records/legacies/etc?
This is one of the more common points I see some MMA fans make on the internet in their argument BOXING SUX1
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Nov 5, 2009 7:49 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The stars do fight top competition though… otherwise they wouldn’t be stars. Look at the last 5 fights of Chuck Liddell. All top 10, if not top 5 LHWs. Couture always fights top 10 competition. Lesnar, although given a gift title shot, has still had to fight top 10 heavyweights. Forrest has fought Shogun, Rampage, Rashad, and Anderson all in a [murderers] row. BJ Penn fought Sherk, GSP, and Florian. I can keep going.
People tend to confuse building future stars with protecting them. We need to remember that in the UFC, hype often precedes skill applicable in the highest levels. All of those guys end up fighting the wolves of their division eventually, but takes time to make those fights valuable to each fighter’s career and the promotion.
C'mon now, country!
I think if Roy is so serious about making the 10 million he wants, he should lay off the burgers for a bit, become the lean fighter he could/should be and make a legit run at the title. There’s no argument for keeping the keggerator hanging around.
That said, go get ’em Roy!
I actually think that is part of Dana’s problem with him.
He sees a guy that he knows is very skilled and a game fighter and gets pissed off because he doesn’t think Roy takes the sport seriously. He trains at home, he keeps a 50 pound spare tire around his waist, he talks back when he should be listening, etc.
I like Roy and enjoy watching him fight, but he is frustrating. I just wonder how good the guy could be if he laid off the fried foods and got reasonably fit. Sure, his cardio is pretty good even as a fat sloppy bastard, but just imagine how good it would be if he got into shape. His gas tank would be legendary. Being overweight is also not going to help his longevity any. When his metabolism starts to slow down, he is going to balloon to gargantuan proportions. When his reflexes start to slow down, that layer of blubber is only going to exacerbate the problem.
Roy is selling himself short by embracing his love of Whoppers and doing things his way, and I think Dana is annoyed by that.
by Steve4192 on Nov 5, 2009 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I agree
I believe Dana also dislikes him for the same reasons that Rashad and his coaches didn’t care much for him at the beginning of the show.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
The only reason I think Roy should drop the belly is to drop down to LHW. I think he might do better there because I think the bigger fighters like Brock, Shane, etc. would eat him alive.
At this point, with what he is doing though; too many people love to knock his body, but he is no more out of shape than all the other fit and toned guys that gas out in the first round and spend most of the fight swinging like they are underwater that have been on the show.
I don’t discount that Roy has an ego, but his ego isn’t any worse than some of the other fighters that Dana just loves in the UFC.
Maybe he didn’t like Roy from way back when he tried to come to the UFC after IFL and they didn’t want him and he is just waiting for him to fail at TUF so Dana can tell everyone “I told you so.”
Roy is right with the fighting though. He should be playing it safe, his main job is to win three fights within the course of a few weeks and make it to the finals, not to put on a “big show” for the heck of it for Dana’s TV show.
by JeremyShane on Nov 5, 2009 6:14 PM EST reply actions 6 recs
Rec'd
I absolutely agree. Why take a risk that isn’t needed? He knew he could easily beat Kimbo, and he did it in a way that caused the least damage to him and his opponent. I see it like… ok I can jump over that hurdle easily, but I’ll tie some weights to my ankles and do it backwards just to impress someone, even tho I have other hurdles to jump right after. That would be the essence of stupidity.
He was in a lose-lose-lose situation:
1: He loses to Kimbo. Say goodbye to any serious career plans you had.
2: He beats Kimbo to a pulp. Say goodbye to any serious career plans you had in the UFC for destroying the TUF poster boy.
3: He beats Kimbo without harming anyone badly. Say goodbye to any serious career plans because you didn’t beat Kimbo to a pulp.
As for the ego, what hypocrisy. Has Dana ever met any of the other UFC fighters?
The truth, I believe, is that Roy doesn’t fit the mold. He has a belly. It is that simple, and silly.
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
Roy Nelson took a shit all over Dana’s plans to market Kimbo to the casual fan. He literally cost the UFC thousands if not millions of dollars in the long run because now everyone who tuned in that night knows that “Kimbo lost to a fat guy.”
If Roy Nelson looked like Ron Waterman or Overeem, Dana would be in love with him. The arrogance Dana doesn’t like because he is fat, when was the last time you saw an arrogant person who was fat? It rubs Dana the wrong way because of how Roy looks, there are plenty of arrogant people in MMA that Dana is in love with.
Look at Phil Baroni, I can’t wait for his pre fight trash talk he will talk about how he invented electricity and was the first man on the moon and how he beat George Foreman in the 70s before Ali did and that he invented jiu jitsu, and Dana would love it because it sells a fight.
TuF 11 I bet Dana will be picking the fights. Also I highly doubt Nelson will be getting any favorable matches in the future, look for him to be matched up against Hardonk or Duffee or the loser of Kongo-Mir after the Finale.
struve vs nelson?
the ultimate mixmatch of looks
by Austin Martin on Nov 5, 2009 6:50 PM EST up reply actions
Struve is almost normal now (if you saw his last fight).
- mixed, not shaken
Editor-in-Chief: All About Russian Mixed Martial Arts (Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander, M-1 Global,etc)
I’m fat and arrogant…
Don't argue for the sake of arguing....
by Screwface on Nov 6, 2009 12:02 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'd pay good money
To see a video of Baroni standing over a fallen Foreman yelling “I’m the best eva!”
by black dragon on Nov 6, 2009 11:31 AM EST up reply actions
Roy cost Zuffa a few million dollars when he gut smothered Kimbo.
If Dana should be mad at anyone over the Kimbo situation, he should be mad at Rashad for matching up his cash cow with the best guy on his team.
Keep firing Assholes!
I am the King of Rome, and am above grammar. -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Meh..
Personally, I never thought one way or another about Roy until this season. I’ve seen him fight and all, and I think he’s got some skills. I even think he beat Rothwell in the IFL but got robbed via decision. He beat him up, though, that’s for sure. Big Ben and he went 5 rds (or was it 4 with those stupid IFL rules?) and Roy Nelson not only got the better of him IMO, but he also was the less gassed fighter at the end. That definitely surprised me and made me take notice of him in the first place, but personality wise, we’ve not really been given much of an opportunity to get to know “Big Country” until TUF 10.
Note: I am no Dana fan, but in this case, I agree with him. Also keep in mind that it wasn’t Dana’s criticism that made me feel this way, it was his attitude in practice, not wanting to do certain things because he was so much better than most of the guys on his team, etc. Then his attitude after beating Kimbo? Yeah, definitely turned the tide for me. He love tapped Kimbo in a crucifix for the finish, and we’re supposed to think he’s an mma god? Don’t think so… I get his rationale, but don’t effing brag about beating a guy who had virtually no ground game, and then say crap like “I Babe Ruthed it.” Jeez, man…. Yeah, maybe if Babe Ruth called a homer off a little league pitcher. No disrespect to Kimbo, I was rooting for him – he just has no ground game compared to Roy Nelson. Everyone knew that. And it’s not like he was the first guy to get Kimbo in a crucifix. James Thompson had him in that same situation, now we should be surprised when a fighter with a MUCH, MUCH better ground game does it after the fact?
Sorry. I ain’t jumping on his bandwagon any time soon. He’s a cocky jackass.
Ironically
You are jumping on the bandwagon.
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
Not really. Jumping on the bandwagon is a) believing the hype and b) becoming a fan due to the hype. I did neither of those things by criticizing him. You can say I’m feeding the fire, sure, but definitely not jumping on his bandwagon.
Myth is saying that you’re jumping on the hatewagon.
by pdl on Nov 5, 2009 7:29 PM EST up reply actions
Possibly
You are acting as though (read: clearly stated above that you believe) a bandwagon is only positive support of a person/idea, when it’s really following any sort of popular trend. And you are absolutely jumping on the “fuck Roy Nelson” wagon. Parroting lines about his celebration after beating Kimbo and referencing a heavily edited reality show as evidence against his personality… it’s a bandwagon and you’re on it.
by pdl on Nov 5, 2009 7:46 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You shouldn't bring up the bandwagon while crtisiszing his attitude.
Meh, the bandwagon is the hatewagon, almost everybody has issues with his attitude. He sure isn’t the humble type, but I don’t care about this personally. I’m cool with cocky dudes, just walk the walk or you’ll be the laughingstock.
10/24
A Rebuttal
First off great stuff. But I think Dana is only half right, Roy is a complete jackass (or can at least come off as one) but he is by no means a moron. And therein lies my rebuttal as to how he should be marketed; as a jackass of a heel. Get some tape of him opining on how he will dominate this guy and that guy, then give him some favorable match-ups against scary looking dudes, and then let him go on for 3 minutes post fight explaining every move. So easy to generate heat with a complete jackass. And heat sells 2x as much as nice guy appeal, unless you are GSP.
When it was announced George Forman would get a title shot against blown-up light heavyweight Evander Holyfield Forman was asked what his strategy would be and he responded, “Well, if I miss him with my left and I miss him with my right, I’m gonna belly bump that little skinny boy.” Market the belly.
UFC 123 Fear the Belly – Roy Nelson vs Randy “The Ageless Wonder” Couture in a retirement match. Its a win/win for Zuffa.
Has anyone else freeze-framed the opening credits on the word “fitness” in the theme song? (“Bear witness to the fitness of the modern warrior.”) It’s wonderful irony.
Dana told me hadn’t noticed.
I think they just mispronounced “fatness”.
by ufc4 on Nov 5, 2009 10:41 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Roy Nelson said the UFC told him to use steroids
by The Bronzeville Bully on Nov 5, 2009 8:08 PM EST reply actions
source?
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Nov 5, 2009 8:15 PM EST up reply actions
Meltzer said it a couple times in a newsletter and on his radio show. He said in his newsletter when it was leaked Roy was a contestant. He was surprised Roy is on TUf, not because of him being a vet but because of that comment.
by The Bronzeville Bully on Nov 5, 2009 10:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Why wouldn’t Dana White hate Roy Nelson?
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
Here’s my question- if Dana hates him so much why did he put him on the show? Didn’t Dana used to hate Kimbo too? Now he’s the guy’s biggest fan. I just don’t understand why Dana would even put Roy on the show if he hates him knowing full and well that there’s probably a 50/50 chance that he wins it.
by ufc4 on Nov 5, 2009 10:46 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You know, I totally disagree with him not being marketable. There are a ton of guys out there that want to root for the chubby guy next door. He’s the George Bush of MMA. Sure it’s fun to see Brock, but people can’t picture themselves poking him in the belly as he squeals for you, sitting back and regaling everyone with stories about the time he smothered Kimbo’s face with his belly. Brock Lesnar and me sitting in the back yard practicing making fart sounds with our armpits just doesn’t really jive. Roy on the other hand works. He’s the perfect crowd pleaser. The revenge for all those fat kids that got picked on in school.
by Dooda on Nov 5, 2009 11:28 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
There are a ton of guys out there that want to root for the chubby guy next door. He’s the George Bush of MMA.
Were there a lot of people rooting for George Bush?
Umm, the guy won two elections
But in hindsight that statement suddenly feels ridiculous, I just remember thinking that when he was elected (I’m Canadian so I was just watching the whole thing happen).
Well, he did get fewer votes than Al Gore in 2000, so even then he wasn’t the most popular candidate.
by ufc4 on Nov 6, 2009 12:32 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I just think it's weird that Dana is eating his words...
He’s always quick to point out that Kimbo needs to win TUF to get into the UFC. While of course that is not true now, due to Kimbo’s marketability, it just sucks that he has to say stupid shit like that and totally go back on it. That is not a man who backs up his high horse words and it’s frustrating as a fan of the sport but not a fan of the sport-entertainment aspect.
Now as people have pointed out, Roy is kinda taking the fall in regards to his public image for beating Kimbo when in reality, Dana was just shitting on Kimbo because he wasn’t a UFC fighter and it was all just hype against Elite XC.
"I call this here Clark Kent. Just sniff this, right here. It’s good, huh?! You smoke this s**t and you just wanna rip your clothes off in a phone booth and fight crime"
He’s always quick to point out that Kimbo needs to win TUF to get into the UFC
There are a ton of lies Dana has been caught in, but his comments regarding Kimbo are a poor example. Go back and listen to those old interviews. He never said Kimbo would have to win TUF. He said the only way he would get into the UFC is through the TUF house. Kimbo has done that.
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