UFC 143 Results: What's Next for Roy Nelson?

Roy Nelson just may be the toughest heavyweight in the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner managed to survive a three-round mugging at the hands of Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143 on Saturday night.

As a fan of the sport, it's easy to fall in love with Nelson's hard-nosed fighting style and unrelenting chin, but as an analyst, you cringe at a veteran fighter deviating from his strengths and failing to improve weaknesses.

He wasn't necessarily a fan favorite or the most exciting fighter in the world, but Nelson found more success when he utilized his world-class grappling skills. Now, his grappling has become virtually nonexistent.

Minus the kickboxing prowess, fans have now been greeted to this generation's Mark Hunt.

The same defensive deficiencies that did Nelson in against Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir remained against Werdum. In striking, the ability to counter can at times be a fighter's best defense.

Nelson's offensive striking isn't incredibly impressive to begin with. He merely trudges forward and wings overhand rights. When his opponent pushes back with offense, it's rare to see Nelson even attempt to muster up any form of a counter.

He tends to back away and shell up to avoid punches, which leaves him vulnerable to knees and body shots.

Nelson has done a tremendous job in losing some of the weight and improving his conditioning, and no fan or pundit would ever question his heart and determination.

With that said, there are still things "Big Country" can work on to improve his overall fight game.

As for future opponents, there are a plethora of great options for Nelson in the deepening heavyweight division.

Mike Russow and possibly even Sergei Kharitonov are a couple of names that initially stand out.

The weight of the world is no longer in Nelson's midsection. It's on his shoulders. He's 3-5 in his last eight fights.