As a person who has connections to Las Vegas, I am somewhat rooting for this home-town favorite to excel in a sport that is unrelenting.

What most people may underestimate about Nelson is that he is the amount of real training he has.  He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Black Sash in Kung Fu, trained in boxing by Jeff Mayweather (a member of the Mayweather boxing family).

Here is a bit about his mixed martial arts career. Nelson currently competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), there holding a record of 22-13. He won Season 10 of Spike TV‘s The Ultimate Fighter. He was the first and the last IFL Heavyweight Champion, competing for Ken Shamrock‘s Nevada Lions, and has also fought for EliteXC and BodogFIGHT. As of April 15, 2016, he is #10 in official UFC heavyweight rankings. He holds notable wins over Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione, Cheick Kongo, Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Roy Nelson announced his presence in the IFL by winning the IFL Heavyweight Belt. Roy is known primarily as a submissions specialist and ground technician, Nelson also has a growing reputation for his “ground and pound” and striking skills, knocking out both Bryan Vetell and Antoine Jaoude en route to becoming the league’s first heavyweight champion.

The Las Vegas native has helped train some of the top fighters in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world. As someone who says he was motivated to learn martial arts after watching “The Karate Kid” and classic American Ninja. Nelson is quickly making his mark in the sport with devastating finishes and an ebullient personality. Despite what many think of his physical attributes by looking at him, Roy has suprising speed and agility for his size and has the endurance necessary to finish fights even in later rounds.

A decorated grappling champion, known for his skills on the mat, Roy also has heavy hands and impressive striking technique. From his early days studying Shaolin Kung Fu. He has spent many years developing his stand-up game and has finished off just as many opponents with his devastating right hand and ground and pound as he has with his punishing submission skills. He is truly a mixed martial artist, well-rounded and capable of bringing the fight to any range and skillset. He is one of the most exciting fighters who can finish the fight standing, or on the ground.

When I had the opportunity to interview Roy Nelson, I was absolutely both thrilled and honored.

I would like to welcome, Roy “Big Country” Nelson.

Thank you Roy, to begin….

Could you tell us a little bit about how you got into Calisthenics?

I think the first time I ever did calisthenics was the first time I played organized sports to warmup for my sport.

You have inspired people all around the world, who has inspired you in your life?

The people who inspire me are simply anyone and everyone that makes me a better person.

If you could thank three people in your life who would they be and what would you say to each of them?

Three people in my life I want to thank are:

My wife Jessy I want to thank you for pushing me and focusing on the things that mean the world to me.
My mother I want to thank you for showing me what is important in life and what to do and not to do. “The Golden Rule”
The last one is more of the universe, I want to thank you for all the failures you gave me and forced me pick up and move on to be a better person.

There are a lot of myths or just plain non-truths when it comes to Calisthenics what is one that you seem to hear over and over?

I think the biggest myths is they say you can’t really build strength, but body weight exercise can make you really strong and explosive.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life either personally or professionally?
The most important lesson is failure it is the building block to the house you want to build called your life.

In one sentence or phrase how would you define success?

Success is how many lives you have touched and how many people loved you back.

What was the most challenging or difficult decision you had to make?

The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was as a child having to decide which parent to live with.

As an inspirational and motivational fitness star, what pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you have for those chasing their dreams?

The simplest thing to chasing your dream is being persistence and being consistent.

What was the best decision you have made?

Best decision is marring my wife, who is wonderful & who also gave me my baby boy Jaxson.

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t ask? Why is that question important and what is the answer?

The one question you should have asked, would have been where do you go to get more information about Roy “Big Country” Nelson?
You can check out more information about Roy “Big Country” Nelson at his website: Roynelson.com
Also you can find him at twitter: twitter.com/roynelsonmma
Here is his Facebook page: facebook.com/roynelsonufc
And you can check him out at his Instagram page: instagram.com/roynelsonufc

Here is a great behind the scenes interview with Big Country (Time: 5:49 Minutes):

As long as you believe and you are determined, you can be or do anything you want to.

Johnny Hollywood Case  is not your typical mid west person. What stands him out from the rest, is his mental fortitude to win and excel in a sport where it seems pretty common for the proverbial bar is always pushed higher and higher.

For those that follow the UFC, it is clear that mental toughness plays a significant part and Johnny Case separates himself from the pact.

He has an impressive record of 22 wins and only 5 losses, with 12 of his wins coming from knockouts and 6 from submissions he clearly is a formidable competitor in one of the toughest sports on the planet, and he has done so by his own sheer will.

In addition, he is also a business man, having purchased Midwest Cage Championship (MCC) based out of Des Moines, Iowa.  MCC is where he first got his start in MMA by fighting for MCC where he eventually become the MCC Lightweight Champion.

What I like most about Johnny Hollywood is his down to earth attitude. He is a super humble person solely focused on being the best version of himself that he can possibly be.

As a father of two boys, he puts his family first, and as a father myself, it is great to see the outstanding balance between home life and work life he is focused on maintaining.

When he is not training or in the octagon he also is an avid motocross rider having raced since he was 12 years old.

Here is a great inspirational video (Time: 4:12 minute)

So it is my huge honor to present our interview with UFC Figher,  Johnny “Hollywood” Case.

Thank you for being with us Johnny, to begin….

Could you tell us a little bit about how you got into mixed martial arts?

I wrestled as a kid and naturally liked to fight and watch fights. So once a senior in high school, MMA was getting popular and I knew I was going to give it a try.

I was raw and didn’t know a thing the first couple years and I kept learning a little bit more at a time, without having any regular team or coaches.

I quickly realized it was more mental than physical, and I seemed to be a lot stronger than most fighters in the mindset.

So I didn’t even have full-time coaches and team until 2015 despite being 3-0 in the UFC with an extensive MMA background once I finally got a real team (Power MMA).

You have inspired people all around the world, who has inspired you in your life?

There is a wide range from athletes to corporate employees that have inspired me throughout the years.

There’s been so many people that have inspired me along the way that I don’t know where to start.

If we’re talking pro athletes, I love Ali’s story and how he handled himself throughout the years.

Every person I come into contact with inspires me in way one or another. Everyone has something to learn and I want to learn from everyone.

If you could thank three people in your life who would they be and what would you say to each of them?

There is way too many I would say thank you too, and no way I could limit that to only three. But here’s my best shot…..

1- My family- without them, nothing is possible
2- Past friends / supporters – every person played an important role in my life that helped me get where I am today
3- Current friends, business partners, loved ones and supporters- They are the ones that push me to be better in every way and a huge piece of the pie to my success

There are a lot of myths or just plain non-truths when it comes to mixed martial arts what is one that you seem to hear over and over?

That you need a super camp with a ton of elite training partners and a long list of elite coaches. That is a huge misconception.

What you need is a couple coaches and training partners that believe in you, you believe in them, trust them and everyone is all in 110%. With that small army, you will get everything needed and can take on the world. MMA is 90% mental and most fighters are mentally weak. That’s why they have to have these super camps to make their mental weakness stronger. The funny thing is…… The mental weakness is the first thing I exploit in my opponents.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life either personally or professionally?

As long as you believe and  you are determined, you can be or do anything you want to…. As long as you truly believe and prove it by showing it.

In one sentence or phrase how would you define success?

Happiness, love, completing goals and living a positive lifestyle

What was the most challenging or difficult decision you had to make?

Every time I drop my kids off or wake up without them, presents the most difficult decisions as I want them by my side at all times.

As an inspirational mixed martial arts athlete, what pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you have for those chasing their dreams?

Surround yourself with the best people and never allow any room for weakness with negative people or people not on the same path. Write down your goals and work on them every single day and make sure you get at least 1% better every day.

Looking over your accomplishments thus far, is there anything you would have done differently or that you possibly regret?

I don’t live with regret. Everyone makes decisions they wish they could change, but the important thing is not making the same mistakes twice. So no, regret does not play a part in my life.

What was the best decision you have made?

Setting goals on making a career in the UFC

11) What question should I have asked you that I didn’t ask? Why is that question important and what is the answer? I’m not a journalist, so no idea.
Here is a great spotlight on Johnny

To learn more about Johnny Hollywood Case, check out his site johnnyhollywoodcase.com

You can also check him out at his Facebook page.

You can check him out at Twitter