Roy Nelson brings different stroke to ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

Roy Nelson has been called a lot of things during his long mixed martial arts career. Dull never has been one of them.

The hair, the beard and even the belly have all combined with Nelson's outgoing and often humorous personality to keep him as one of the more popular fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight division, despite mixed results against top competition and a tumultuous relationship with UFC president Dana White.

All of that should help carry season 16 of the organization's reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter," which debuts at 9 tonight with a two-hour episode on FX (Cable 24).

Nelson has carved out a solid niche despite drawing the ire of White, who has consistently and publicly chided Nelson's "goofy" demeanor and look. Still, despite being a "pain in the ass" to work with, White gave the Cimarron-Memorial High School alumnus a prominent role on the reality series.

"I think we just have different beliefs," Nelson said. "What some people might say is a pain in the ass, others might say is just an awesome massage. It's just all relative to how you look at things."

Nelson, the show's season 10 winner, returns as one of the coaches opposite the more cerebral and laid-back Shane Carwin. That dynamic should make for some entertaining interaction on the show.

"We're polar opposites," Nelson said. "It's just like it is with Dana. We just have different visions and different goals."

Filming on the show concluded Wednesday in Las Vegas. The season, which features welterweights, is once again taped after a one-season experiment with a live format. After the season has finished airing, Nelson and Carwin will meet in a heavyweight bout that is pivotal for both careers.

Nelson said the interaction between the two on set definitely provided motivation for that fight, which is expected to take place in December.

Nelson will be drawing motivation from another place by then. The 36-year-old and his wife, Jessy, are expecting their first child in early November.

"It's definitely a different stress. It's a good stress," he said. "It's something I can't wait for to be a great father, just helping him to deal with all the pressures of the world and trying to shield (him) from what you've gone through. It's definitely made me a Papa Bear."

The couple is naming their son Jax, which is the name of one of the main characters in another popular FX show, "Sons of Anarchy."

Nelson also had a name picked out if the couple had a daughter.

"We would have named her Dana," he said. "But we would have had to have a girl for that."

All 32 competitors will be in action on tonight's season premiere, with the winners of 16 fights advancing in the tournament and gaining entrance into the house for the duration of the season.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.