http://mmajunkie.com/news/30113/roy-...nd-hes-not.mma
It sure didn't take long for Roy Nelson to make waves on the set of "The Ultimate Fighter 16."
UFC President Dana White said this past week that the "TUF 10" winner and coach of the reality show's latest installment was already creating trouble in his new role.
"It's probably because he wants to be a fighter, and he's not," Nelson countered in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
Talking about Nelson's presence on the reality show, which debuts on FX in September, White called the fighter a chronic "pain in the ass" in an interview with MMA Fighting.
"The first day, as soon as we start filming, he starts shooting his mouth off and saying dumb [expletive]," White said.
"TUF 16" pits 32 up-and-coming welterweights against each other in a single-elimination tournament for a UFC contract. Nelson (17-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Shane Carwin (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) coach opposing squads of fighters, after which they are scheduled to meet in a traditional season-ending fight. The long-running show returns to its pre-taped format after the 15th installment used a live format earlier this year.
Nelson said the on-set conflict stemmed from his choices for his assistant coaching staff, which included Olympic gold medalist and pro-wrestling veteran Kurt Angle, former Strikeforce champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, and convicted steroid dealer turned anti-steroid advocate Victor Conte.
"I think we were talking about coaching or something like that, and [White's] not a coach," he said. "There's an understanding of being a fighter, and I don't think he understands."
After meeting resistance with his initial choices, Nelson leaked a list approved and unapproved by the UFC, which included Chael Sonnen, Rashad Evans, welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, and Nick and Nate Diaz. He said he had to "work around some issues" and that his staff was unapproved.
"I'm always at the back of the bus when it comes to the UFC," he said. "I'm just trying to further MMA to the next level, hold journalism up to higher standards, holding fights to higher standards, holding promotions to higher standards, holding athletic commissions to higher standards, and even holding the fans to higher standards."
Today, trainer Cesar Gracie tweeted that a few fighters on the approved list made it onto the show. The Diaz brothers, along with Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez and UFC middleweight Jake Shields, will be working with Nelson.
At the time of the interview, which took place prior to the coaching additions, Nelson wasn't sure that would fix things.
"You never know with Dana," he said. "Dana will tell you guys one thing, and then five minutes later tell you another. Last week, 'Shogun' (Rua) and Brandon Vera were fighting for the title, and now all of the sudden, (Lyoto) Machida and Ryan Bader are, too. Next thing you know, he's going to say Randy Couture gets the next title shot when he comes back."
White's relationship with Nelson since his emergence on "TUF 10" has been more cold than hot. The executive has often portrayed the heavyweight as a talented and tough competitor whose motivation has been lacking.
Nelson, in turn, hasn't shied away from voicing his opinions on White and the UFC. On Wednesday, he poked fun at White's recent change of heart on testosterone-replacement therapy.
"The Juice is good @Danawhite says so as long as you don't over do it," he wrote. "Now I know why Overeem is OK NOW! I feel like some OJ."
Putting aside his issues with management, Nelson said he is enjoying his time on "TUF 16."
"I'm actually falling back in love with being a coach, which is what I originally started at in this sport," he said. "I'm just finding the love of coming back to concentrating on that. I've got eight guys I've got to worry about, which is way harder than when I was in the house. In the house, I only had to worry about me, and I already knew how I was going to do."
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