Former NFL player Mitrione steps back into cage against Nelson

For a fighter who hasn't stepped in the cage in nearly 14 months, Matt Mitrione has taken his share of beatings in the past year.

The 34-year-old heavyweight has been training with the noted Blackzilians team in south Florida with some of the world's best kick boxers.

"Getting your ass kicked by Tyrone Spong and Alistair Overeem every day is not fun," he said. "You learn a lot of stuff that doesn't work and then some of what does when you're bleeding almost every damn day. I figured if I want to stop getting stitches, I better figure this thing out."

Mitrione, a former NFL player, basically was winging it early in his mixed martial arts career.

He was naturally gifted but raw and had yet to make his professional debut when he appeared on Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter," a competition eventually won by Las Vegan Roy Nelson.

Mitrione makes his return tonight against Nelson in the main event of the show's Season 16 finale card at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Despite his new training camp, Mitrione doesn't expect to change who he is when he steps back in the cage.

"I feel like I'm a better fighter than I was, but I'm sure I'll still be doing the same dumb (expletive) with my hands low," he said. "I just feel like I have a couple more tools in my tray, and I'll be able to utilize them better."

Nelson remembers seeing Mitrione when he was starting out as a fighter.

"He was an elite athlete. He came from the NFL," Nelson said. "He's one of those guys that was doing this for fun. That puts you at a whole different level than guys that have to do this. When you're doing something you love, you're going to be excited to learn."

Mitrione was eliminated in the quarterfinals of that tournament, though, in a fight in which Nelson worked his corner.

Neither fighter says there is any animosity toward the other, but Nelson is agitated that Mitrione was so quick to volunteer as a replacement when Nelson's original opponent, Shane Carwin, pulled out of the fight with an injury.

"I wasn't even thinking of Matt, and then he called me out," Nelson said. "If you poke the bear, you're going to get either bit or swung or chewed up or something.

"Don't poke the bear."

Mitrione said the timing worked out better for him to be able to fight on this card instead of the Dec. 29 card that would have kept him away from his family on Christmas. As far back as their time on the show more than three years ago, Mitrione says there were discussions about potential fights.

"I think everyone that was on the show spoke about it that if we ever end up fighting, we're cool. You just hope it's down the road and there's something on the line," he said. "Well, there is something on the line. I'm coming back from 14 months off. I'm off my first loss. I've got something to prove. Everybody knows, if you lose two in a row, you could get cut. If you have two (expletive) showings in a row, you can really get cut."

Mitrione suffered the first official loss of his career, a decision against Cheick Kongo in October 2011, his last time out.

He pins the defeat entirely on inexperience and says he started working to correct the errors he made in the loss the moment he got back to the locker room.

Now, he's had 14 months to dwell on it.

The card, which airs tape-delayed on FX (Cable 24) at 9 p.m., also features the Season 16 title bout between welterweights Mike Ricci and Colton Smith.

Two other fights on the card have explosive potential.

Pat Barry and Shane del Rosario square off in a meeting of two of the heavyweight division's most athletic kick boxers.

Barry joked that "kick boxer code" dictates the first one to try for a takedown loses.

"Not necessarily loses the fight but, you know, loses," he said with a laugh.

Also, Jamie Varner meets Melvin Guillard in a matchup between exciting lightweights.

The preliminary card airs live on Fuel TV (Cable 319) at 4 p.m. Three fights will stream live on Facebook at 2:30.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.