Roy “Big Country” Nelson became the latest ultimate fighter last night by knocking out Brendan Schaub in the first round of their bout during The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale, broadcast on Spike from Las Vegas.

This season of the popular reality show featured all heavyweights, and Nelson was indeed very heavy. In fact, he is easily 50 pounds overweight and could fight in the 205-pound light heavyweight class if he focuses on proper diet and the right kind of exercise.

But Nelson is obviously successful fighting as a fat man rather than a fit man, and he actually seems to relish this role. After defeating Schaub, he climbed up on the cage and triumphantly rubbed his belly. During his post-fight interview he plugged Burger King, though it is not clear to this writer whether or not BK is actually sponsoring Nelson. They at least owe him a free Whopper for the plug.

As for the fight itself, it was more exciting than Nelson’s wins on the show. Nelson and Schaub looked fairly even during their stand-up moments, with both of them landing some shots. Schaub may have had a bit of an edge, and Nelson decided he didn’t want to play that game. He took Schaub to the ground and methodically began to set up a finish.

Nelson is a jiu jitsu black belt who uses his giant belly very effectively on the ground, pinning opponents under its monstrous weight. He used the belly on the show to render both Kimbo Slice and James McSweeney helpless and punch them in the face until the ref stopped the fights.

Though this technique has obviously worked well for Nelson, Schaub managed to escape when Nelson tried to immobilize one of his arms. Schaub has some excellent ground defensive skills, as escaping from Nelson’s belly is no mean feat. He was also able to escape from Marcus Jones’ full mount on the show, another difficult feat.

Once they were on their feet, Nelson showed that he is no one-trick pony. Trading punches with Schaub, Big Country absorbed some jabs without slowing down a bit, showing that he’s got a good chin. He managed to catch Schaub with a right hook, and not long afterward, he caught him again with a punch just behind Schaub’s ear that knocked him out.

Nelson followed Schaub down and caught him with another punch before the ref stopped it, but it wasn’t necessary. Schaub was out from the first punch. In addition to the elemental force of his belly, Nelson has now showcased his knockout power.

As a result of this fight, Nelson is now a member in good standing of the UFC, with his own “six-figure contract.” It is doubtful that he’ll be a true force to be reckoned with, as I don’t see a way for him to be successful against the monsters at the very top of the division, such as Brock Lesnar (if he ever gets healthy again), Shane Carwin or even the smaller Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.

I also don’t think Nelson is in the same class as Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (also known as “Big Nog” to differentiate him from his twin brother Antonio Rodrigo “Minotoro” Nogueira, who fights as a UFC light heavyweight), or Frank Mir.

However, it should be fun to see Nelson go up against both Big Nog and Mir, and I think he’s got a good chance against one-dimensional guys like Cheick Congo or against sturdy contenders like Heath Herring and Gabriel Gonzaga. It would also be great to see him in rematches against Kimbo Slice, who showed his own vastly improved ground game last night, and against “Big” Ben Rothwell, to whom Nelson lost a split decision in the International Fight League in April 2007.

Nelson is now 33 years old and has 14 wins and four losses. He’s faced some tough competition over the past five years, and he’s undoubtedly got a few more good years to go in the fight game.

As for Schaub, I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him in the UFC. At only 26, the former pro football player has a lot of time to improve his skills and gain experience. This was the first loss Schaub suffered, and he has four wins. If he can learn from this loss and continue to grow, there’s no reason why he couldn’t be a contender at some point.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Climactic Ultimate Fighter Brawls Send Big Plumper Nelson, Former Pro Football Player Schaub to Title Bout
• The Ultimate Fighter: How Can a Pro Fighter, Exercising Several Hours a Day, Be As Fat As Roy “Big Country” Nelson?
• Not The Safest Sport: The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale Results In Medical Suspensions
• Big Baby Brings the Jiu Jitsu on The Ultimate Fighter, Scoring First Team Rampage Victory
• The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale: Free Event on Spike Features Some Strange Fights
• One-Dimensional Fighters Display Skills on TUF