Country Musing: Roy Nelson Over Junior Dos Santos Wouldn't Be An Upset

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights winner "Big Country" Roy Nelson will face off against Junior Dos Santos in a match up of two heavyweight fighters currently at the top of their game. 

Dos Santos will likely go into the fight as the favorite, as his destruction of the UFC heavyweight roster has been put on display on the strength of a seven fight win streak, none of which have gone to decision.

Currently ranked the No. 6 heavyweight on Sherdog.com, Dos Santos has definitely earned the title as one of the hottest heavyweight fighters in the UFC. And he seems to be destined to reach the top of the heavyweight title picture. 

However, Roy Nelson is no slouch. Far from it, in fact.

As one of the ultimate examples (no pun intended) of how appearances can be deceiving, Big Country is one of the better athletes in all of MMA. 

Many were introduced to Roy Nelson during the highest rated season of The Ultimate Fighter . But Big Country has been a very good MMA fighter for quite some time now. 

As a longtime black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the tutelage of Renzo Gracie, Roy Nelson's excellent grappling skills combined with a superb striking skillset makes him arguably the most complete fighter in the heavyweight division. 

Nelson proved his grappling acumen when he defeated UFC stars Frank Mir, Brandon Vera, and Diego Sanchez en route to winning The 2003 Grappler's Quest Tournament. 

While Ben Rothwell hasn't exactly done the IFL name proud since his jump to the UFC, Roy Nelson had an impressive run in the now defunct promotion and was the IFL's final heavyweight champion before the promotion folded. 

Nelson went through a two fight hiccup that saw Nelson suffer a one sided defeat to Andrei Arlovsky followed by a unanimous decision loss to Jeff Monson, Roy Nelson has regained his swagger. 

Since being selected to appear on The Ultimate Fighter , Roy Nelson has taken the proverbial ball and ran with it, putting his skills on display for the national viewing audience to see and earning an important bout with UFC heavyweight standout Junior Dos Santos.

Once upon a time (and even currently to some degree), The UFC was viewed as a barbarian sport filled with back room brawlers who had no place among the elite of American society.

It didn't help that fighters such as Tank Abbot were routinely featured as one of the UFC's biggest draws. 

Part of the UFC's growth can be attributed to the UFC featuring five-star athletes such as George St. Pierre and Brock Lesnar.  

Upon first look, Roy Nelson will not strike anybody as a five-star athlete, and may even illicit said negative sentiments that he is nothing more than a back room brawler.

But Nelson's agility, skillset, and experience gives him a serious edge in what may be the biggest fight of his career to date.  

The Nelson vs. Dos Santos match up reminds me of a similar American vs. Brazilian bout that recently took place at UFC 114.  

The match featured Antonio Rogerio Nogueria (whose last name is synonymous with all that is prestige in MMA), and the less prestigious Jason Brilz (who I've dubbed Lil' Country). 

For two of the three rounds, the Nebraska standout Jason Brilz took the fight to Nogueira as he dominated the light heavyweight on the rise with takedowns.  

The eventual decision, with Nogueira winning two of the three rounds, came under harsh criticism as many believed Brilz won the fight with ease.  

Roy Nelson can give Junior Dos Santos the same type of troubles.  

If Roy Nelson falls in love with his stand up, which wouldn't be ill-advised given how this striking has improved immensely over the course of his career, this will be a rather even fight. 

With that said, Junior Dos Santos would have an improved chance at winning as his striking is among the best in MMA right now.

Roy Nelson needs to integrate his grappling technique and frustrate the young heavyweight on the ground in order to literally give Dos Santos' ground game the biggest test it's ever received. 

That belly is no joke, and is nightmare to counter from ones back.     

Nelson has been known to utilize takedowns, namely of the single leg variety , and is very good at sweeping an opponent's leg from underneath him before eventually scoring with the maneuver. 

This technique could be the difference in a fight with Dos Santos, and as solid as Dos Santos' Jiu-Jitsu game is, he is a brown belt at this point and Nelson has the obvious edge in that department as well. 

A complete fight by Roy Nelson, not just striking, should improve his chances exponentially come UFC 117. 

Should Nelson continue to win his bouts, this would be good for the UFC as he is a character with charisma who can translate into a big draw for the promotion. 

As the hype continues to build for what should be a strong card come UFC 117, it will be interesting to see how the odds shake down for Nelson vs. Dos Santos. 

But Nelson's previous destinations have prepared him for a seemingly bright future with the UFC. And Big Country should not be taken lightly in this fight.