Talking TUF and Shrubs With UFC Vet Wes Sims

The upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter is going to feature a variety of entertaining personalities all living under one roof. Out of the sixteen heavyweights that will be competing on the show, the craziest one of the bunch may just be 6’4" nutcase Wes “The Whole Show” Sims.

Sims is a veteran of the sport, with more than 30 professional fights under his belt and—unlike most fighters in the TUF house—has already competed in the UFC three times before. His UFC record may be 0-3 (and one of those losses was a disqualification from stomping Frank Mir’s face), but make no mistake about it: Sims is one heavyweight that you do not want to underestimate.

In this exclusive interview, Sims talks about his experience living in the TUF house, Roy Nelson’s strange eating habits, his thoughts on Kimbo Slice and much, much more.  

Mitch Ciccarelli: What was it like living in the TUF house with 15 other dudes with absolutely no contact with the outside world?

Wes Sims: That part...sucked, literally! I had to sleep with one eye open because there were a lot of different personalities and I had to sleep with one hand on my food because Roy Nelson ate [expletive] everything in the house...everything. He was up at all hours eating, and eating, and eating. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

Mitch Ciccarelli: What was different about this house than the houses in previous seasons? I’m sure with this being the “heaviest season over” they had to have made some adjustments to the size and the design of the house right?

Wes Sims: In previous seasons they weren’t heavyweights, and there were some big guys in this house.

Mitch Ciccarelli: What was the food bill like for this season? Because I bet with a house full of heavyweights there must have been a lot of eating going around in that house, am I right?

Wes Sims: It was ridiculous and I’ll go back to what I said earlier, [Nelson] ate everything that he could get his hands on. [Including] other people's food, anything he could touch he was eating and he even ate a shrub out in the backyard and I hope they got that on tape.

Mitch Ciccarelli: It seems like with this cast there was a large variety of different backgrounds and experience levels. Obviously with you being a UFC veteran and having over 30 pro fights, you were one of the most experienced fighters on the show. Do you think that gave you somewhat of a mental advantage over the other fighters?

Wes Sims: Oh, for sure. I mean, I’ve been all over the world, I’ve fought all over the place. I really never thought I’d be on The Ultimate Fighter, it was one of those lucky things, and I think I fit in appropriately for this season with this cast.

 Mitch Ciccarelli: I saw a video recently on Spike.com where they showed a sneak peak at the first episode, and it would seem like the moment Kimbo Slice was announced as the 16th heavyweight everyone in the room all had a different expression on their face, mostly a look of surprise. How shocked were you to see Kimbo walk into the gym and what was going through your mind?

Wes Sims: I was actually really confused because I thought we already had 16 [fighters in the room] and I didn’t even know [that there was only 15], I really didn’t notice. I was just really confused, I would have to say confusion [was my reaction] when Kimbo came out. I was just thinking, "he’s just another guy, just another individual." It actually made me feel pretty good because besides Demico Rogers, Marcus Jones and myself, we were the only black people on the show, so Kimbo just made it even better.

Mitch Ciccarelli: So are you saying you’re actually a brother under cover?

Wes Sims: Well I’m real close, I was on B.E.T. Do you know of any white people who were on B.E.T?

Mitch Ciccarelli: Not a whole lot. Sounds like you’ve got your bling on though.

Wes Sims: Yeah, well, I’m working on it. I’m trying to acquire some new bling and hopefully get my grill going on before summer is over.

Mitch Ciccarelli: It seemed like once Kimbo came into the room, Rampage had already made up his mind that he wanted Kimbo on his team, surprisingly saying he wanted to pick the YouTube street fighter as his first pick. He told Rashad not to pick him, and then told Kimbo that as far as the evaluations are concerned, “Hey, you don’t have to do anything. You can sit back and watch because I’m picking you first." Do you think that’s fair to all of the other guys who actually have to work hard and prove themselves in the two-hour evaluation?

Wes Sims: Honestly it’s just kind of weird and it gave me kind of a weird vibe, you know? I’m not like that, so it’s just kind of weird, that’s all I’m saying.

Mitch Ciccarelli: Obviously you aren’t allowed to discuss certain parts of the show until they are aired. But is there anything you can tell us? For example did anything crazy go on like fights at the house or anything nuts like that?

Wes Sims: I told you, I mean [expletive] Roy Nelson took a [expletive] shrub it was like a little plum tree and he [expletive] ate it. I think that was on week two or three.

Mitch Ciccarelli: Did you get along with most of the guys, or were there some fighters you didn’t see eye to eye with?

Wes Sims: They all tolerated me, that’s all I can say. I mean there were no casualties. I didn’t kill nobody. I beat the [expletive] out of some people, but I didn’t kill anyone.

Mitch Ciccarelli: How were the fights this season compared to previous seasons? Did the heavyweights go all-out in the Octagon?

Wes Sims: Honestly, I am going to be as surprised as everyone else because I don’t remember anything that happened. It’s been a couple of months [since the show] and I’m going to be just as surprised as the fans are. I can’t wait! I’ve got my TiVo set!

Mitch Ciccarelli: Since leaving the show, do you feel like your overall game has improved? If so, what aspect do you think has improved the most?

Wes Sims: You know, it’s just like I said on my Spike commercial: My fans are going to love, my enemies are going to hate and my family will forever be embarrassed. I have fought over 30 fights, I’ve fought all over the world and took on former champs, so I’ve done pretty good for myself. My trainer Mark Coleman got me into the sport, and I’ve never went outside of The Hammer House to get much more training. I did go to Vegas to help Randy Couture train for Tim Sylvia, I’ve trained with Saul Soliz some, but besides that I really had no other training.

I mean everything with Jiu-Jitsu it’s hard to believe a black belt of my stature is all self=taught. I mean, I don’t think Royce [Gracie] or any of them were all self-taught, so I’ve done this on my own. I do realize that the training during The Ultimate Fighter was very intense and awesome. I’m training in other places now, so I’m only 29 years old. Mark [Coleman] didn’t get started until he was 31. Randy [Couture] is 46, Mark is 44 and he’s getting ready to beat Tito’s ass, so I’ve got plenty of time and I’m doing really well for myself.

Mitch Ciccarelli: A lot of people mostly remember you for the disqualification loss to Frank Mir at UFC 43. Do you think after people watch this show they will have a newfound respect for you?

Wes Sims: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I’m really only known by the hardcore fans and this sport has blown up so big that if you haven’t been fighting in the UFC since UFC 60, 70, 80, somewhere in there then people don’t know who you are. People that don’t know me will get to meet me, and once they do they are going to have a good time and they are going to enjoy it.

Mitch Ciccarelli: You’re known for having one of the craziest personalities in MMA. How did that carry over onto the show? Do you think you made the show a little bit more entertaining to watch?

Wes Sims: Oh, for sure...for sure! I think there’ll be a lot of laughs, on Wednesday the bars will be empty because everyone will be at home watching the A-Hole show. Hey, one more thing, do you go on that Underground Forum (the UG at mixedmartialarts.com )?

Mitch Ciccarelli: Yeah I check it out every now and then. Why?

Wes Sims: What’s your [user]name? Because I’m making mental notes of everybody that I ask because you know people [expletive] talk on there about Georges St. Pierre, B.J Penn and other guys knowing that it’s water under their back but if you [expletive] talk Wes Sims there’s a good chance he will show up at your house!

Mitch Ciccarelli: You’re crazy, man.

Wes Sims: Yup.

Mitch Ciccarelli: Alright Wes, well thank you for taking the time out for this interview. I really appreciate it, really looking forward to seeing you kick ass and take names on The Ultimate Fighter.

Wes Sims: Thanks man, I appreciate it. We’ll talk soon.

Catch Wes Sims every week on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10: The Heavyweights, airing every Wednesday starting Sept. 16 on Spike TV.