Sorry Shane-O, but out of site, out of mind.
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 16 Finale will feature a pair of season 10 contestants -- and its eventual winner -- in the main event when Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione re-unite inside the Octagon at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Dec. 15, 2012.
"Meathead" -- who was in the midst of training for a Heavyweight fight against Philip De Fries at UFC 155 on Dec. 29, 2012 -- will step in for the injured Shane Carwin, who coached opposite Nelson on the latest season of TUF on FX and who was supposed to fight "Big Country" before shredding his knee in training.
Nelson (17-7) managed to recently return to the win column with a knockout over Dave Herman at the UFC 146 pay-per-view (PPV) event back in May. He is 4-3 since winning the TUF 10 title, but has yet to beat a top five opponent in his weight class.
Mitrione (4-1) most likely isn't that guy (right now), but he's certainly a game and very tough opponent.
The former National Football League (NFL) lineman most recently saw his perfect record go up in smoke against Cheick Kongo at UFC 137 in Oct. 2011 and has not competed since because of injuries and other scheduling conflicts. Prior to the setback, Mitrione amassed an impressive list of victims that included four devastating stoppages by way of knockout.
It will be hard to duplicate that kind of success against the durable and well-padded Nelson.
Other scheduled bouts for TUF 16 Finale include the two 170-pound finalists from the show battling it out for the "six-figure" UFC contract, as well as solid mixed martial arts (MMA) match ups such as Pat Barry vs. Shane Del Rosario, Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner and Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier, among others.
For all the latest news, notes, and updates on TUF 16 Finale click here.