UFC 117: Roy Nelson's Keys To Victory Against Junior Dos Santos

Infamously known worldwide as “Big Country,” Roy Nelson at first glance looks like a man more willing to spend his evenings smuggling burgers at McDonalds than putting time in at the gym.

The only sport you would expect Nelson to partake in would be some form of competition that requires the contestants to stuff their faces with a tremendous amount of lard and butter until their stomachs explode with candy like a human piñata.

If you are unfamiliar with the sport of mixed martial arts you likely would never guess that Nelson is actually a professional fighter and one of the top competitors in his weight class. His porky physique may tell you otherwise but the truth is Nelson is one of the most athletic fighters in the heavyweight division.

With back-to-back knockout victories under his belly, Nelson will enter the cage with Brazilian wrecking machine Junior dos Santos at UFC 117.

According to UFC President Dana White, whoever emerges victorious in this bout will be next in line to fight for the UFC heavyweight championship after Brock Lesnar defends his title against Cain Velasquez this coming October.

While many are quick to predict Nelson’s demise against the hard-hitting dos Santos, it's not out of the question for “Big Country” to slay the Team Blackhouse heavyweight. This is a winnable fight for Nelson but only if he follows through with the right gameplan.

Let’s take a look at some of the key strategies that could lead the Ultimate Fighter winner to yet another victory on his path to the UFC heavyweight championship.

Don’t stay in the pocket for long

Nelson’s overhand right is extremely dangerous but trading punches with dos Santos is the equivalent of pitching fastballs to Albert Pujols—sooner or later the homerun shot will connect.

Dos Santos is the most devastating striker in the heavyweight division. His boxing technique is superb and he has the punching power to knock out a silverback gorilla with his left and a grizzly bear with his right.

All fights start on the feet so Nelson’s approach to the standup game in this fight will have to be cautious. Nelson is going to want to use his strikes to set up takedowns but if he can’t take dos Santos down he will have to stay on the outside as much as possible.

“Big Country” can’t risk brawling with the Brazilian as it wasn’t long ago that Andrei Arlovski put Nelson to sleep with one punch. No offense to “The Pitbull” but dos Santos is packing more heat than Arlovski ever did, even in his prime, so Nelson will have to be weary of that.

If it turns into purely a standup fight, Nelson will have to rely on counter punching and crafty footwork until he can find the opening to land his big shot.

Put dos Santos on his back

Nicknamed “The Jiu-Jitsu Panda” by his housemates on The Ultimate Fighter 10, Nelson is one of the toughest heavyweights to deal with on the ground. A high level BJJ black belt, Nelson uses his weight along with world-class technique to smother his victims from the top position like a beached whale dry-humping a seagull.

Once Nelson obtains the dominant position there isn’t much an opponent can do but hope for the referee to stand them up. Against dos Santos, Nelson will have to find a way to bring the fight to the floor and keep it there.

Such a task may be easier said than done, considering fellow high level grappler Gabriel Gonzaga’s failed attempts to take dos Santos down but Nelson’s style of takedowns could prove more efficient than Gonzaga’s.

Dos Santos trains with world-class black belts such as the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva so he won’t be a complete fish out of water on his back.

However, finding a training partner with Nelson’s physique has to be a difficult task. Not many professional fighters possess the portliness of “Big Country” and if they do they lack the elite grappling credentials to effectively mimic Nelson.

Obtain the crucifix position

If Nelson manages to bring dos Santos to the ground it won’t be long before he looks to secure his favorite technique, the crucifix position. Nelson used this very same maneuver against Kimbo Slice on The Ultimate Fighter making the street fighting sensation look like soggy bread.

Obviously dos Santos has a greater understanding on the ground game than Slice but that will not make a difference. Once Nelson gets his big belly to work on the ground and traps his opponent’s arms, there is no escape.

For Nelson, this is the strategy he will likely enter the Octagon with. On the contrary, the former IFL heavyweight champion might enter this fight with too much confidence in his hands and may make the mistake of standing in the pocket with dos Santos.

But the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, Nelson may look like a gullible porker on the outside but on the inside he’s an incredibly intelligent MMA veteran with the brain the size of three fudgy the whale ice cream cakes from Carvel. His stomach on the other hand is equivalent to the size of ten fudgy the whales and 28 boxes of Twinkies but that is a tale for another time.

All jokes aside, Nelson is a fighter that should never be counted out. He has the experience, the technique and the knockout power to reach the top of the heavyweight kingdom and realize his destiny as UFC champion.

Mitch Ciccarelli is an MMA columnist contributing to both Heavy.com and Bleacher Report.  He is also a future United States Airman. Follow Mitch on twitter if you’re looking to read some interesting tweets about MMA, hot chicks, hot dogs, hot plates, hot wings, and other hotness: @mitchciccarelli