Roy Nelson Is Excited For His Bellator Debut Tonight

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Roy Nelson (22-14 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) spoke about his excitement prior to his upcoming Bellator debut tonight at Bellator 183. He will fight Javy Ayala (10-5 MMA, 5-2 BMMA). It airs on Spike from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Here are highlights:

On being excited about the change in atmosphere: “The biggest difference is just being excited to go to work, and can’t wait until Saturday. Normally you’re just like, ‘Ahh, there’s all this other stuff,’ and now you’re just like, ‘Ya know what? I can’t will till Saturday.’ … I just want to tell the fans how excited I am. I’m just excited to go out there and put on a good fight.’ There’s a big difference in enthusiasm.”

On if Ayala wants to make his name off of her: “The fans I bring, (Ayala could be) like, ‘Damn, I’m gonna make my name off this guy’. That would be me. He could be that guy. Or it could be the opposite and going, ‘Damn … I’ve gotta fight this guy?’ Nine times out of 10, it’s ‘Damn … I’ve gotta fight this guy.’”

On who he wants to fight next: “My thing is, I can always fight the best in the world. I’m ready to fight the best guy. If he’s a new up-and-comer like Javy – he’s under 30; he’s the next new breed. He’s the guy you have to look out for.”