Roy Nelson talks Kimbo Slice

Less than 24 hours after his fight with Internet sensation Kimbo Slice broke Spike TV rating records, Roy Nelson took the time to answer questions over a media teleconference Thursday.

In the same matter-of-fact, self-assured demeanor that has defined him through the first three episodes of "The Ultimate Fighter," Nelson calmly stated that his second-round TKO victory over Kimbo was nothing more than "another day at the office."

Although the news conference took place over the phone, one could almost see the confident grin on his face.

“The gameplan was simple, just go in there and do what I needed to do,” Nelson said. “I couldn’t have done it any better. I called it the night before. I did a Babe Ruth. I pointed to the fences, hit my home run and, boom, here we are today.”

In a nearly perfect example of the kind of camera confessional associated with reality television shows, Nelson went on to call out his critics.

The ones who didn’t believe a chubby, 260-pounder could take down a backyard brawler.

“To my critics, I’m the suckiest guy in the UFC,” Nelson said. “Well, it’s kind of hard to know how to take that after what I did to Kimbo. There are a lot of critics out there that said I’m fat and out of shape — it’s pretty easy to coach against that if you want to beat it.”

Whether fans agree more with Nelson or his critics, there’s no doubt the Las Vegas-based fighter is the biggest news in mixed martial arts after Wednesday night’s record-breaking night.

The episode pulled in 5.3 million viewers, including a peak of 6.1 million viewers during the last quarter hour that featured the actual fight.

It also pulled a 6.81 rating among the demographic of males ages 18 to 34, the highest in Spike TV history, according to the network’s senior vice president, Brian Diamond.

“We were anticipating great numbers, but we were completely thrilled with the number we did last night,” Diamond said. “A lot of guys were watching.”

Hearing the numbers, Nelson acknowledged the new fans Kimbo is bringing to the sport — but also added a slight dig to his former "TUF" house roommate.

“It’s great that Kimbo is bringing a whole new audience,” Nelson said. “I can’t wait until Tom Cruise breaks in or Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

For the few who did miss it, Nelson’s win served as evidence that although Kimbo seems to be improving, he still has a way to go in becoming a well-rounded threat in the UFC.

The two fighters traded strikes for the better part of the first round before Nelson landed a takedown with 90 seconds remaining. It was obvious that Kimbo’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills were lacking, as Nelson established a dominant position fairly easily.

After Nelson landed another takedown early in the second round, it didn’t take long for him to ground and pound his way to the victory with referee Herb Dean calling a stop to the action.

On Thursday, Nelson critiqued his opponent from what he saw in the cage.

“The thing about Kimbo is that he does hit hard, he’s a 230-pound man, but he’s not the hardest guy I’ve been hit by,” Nelson said. “You don’t want to get clipped by it, but I did exactly what I wanted to do. I baited him in where he tried to go for the kill and I got the clinch instead of trying to shoot on him.

“His skill set is still the same, he’s just a little stronger. He’s always been a puncher. That’s why I’ve told him to move down and hang out with the 205-pounders. All they’re going to do is bang it out.”

As it stands, the loss drops Kimbo from the competition, although UFC President Dana White has already said that the fighter will compete for the organization in the future.

Previews of next week’s episode of "TUF" also tried to inspire hope in fans that Kimbo may not be done, as it’s not uncommon for losing fighters to rejoin the competition in place of injured or kicked-off teammates.

As for now, however, the season belongs to the Burger King-loving Nelson — a fact that the fighter is currently relishing.

“Kimbo was actually the last person I wanted to fight,” Nelson said. “I would have rather fought him in the finale where I could have put on a show. It’s just one of those things though, got it done and over with.

“I just wanted to point out to the rest of the guys that, ‘This is how I’m going to win,’ and guess what? That’s how I won. It put emphasis on them that, ‘Roy can just do what he wants.’ That’s kind of scary.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected].