Roy Nelson stops Matt Mitrione at 'TUF 16' finale

• Roy Nelson stopped Matt Mitrione at the 2:58 mark of the first round
• Nelson picked up his second straight win and third in the past four fights
• Mitrione, a former NFL defensive tackle, suffered the first stoppage loss of his career

LAS VEGAS -- Matt Mitrione lost his mouthpiece, but it probably wouldn't have mattered much.

Trading first-round bombs, Roy Nelson stopped Mitrione at the 2:58 mark of the first round -- keeping Nelson's win column perfect with knockouts in the UFC and handing Mitrione the first stoppage loss of his career.

The heavyweight bout was the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 16 finale at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It aired on FX following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Nelson and Mitrione were teammates on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, the show's heavyweight edition. Nelson was a coach opposite Shane Carwin this past season on TUF 16, but a Carwin knee injury forced him out and Mitrione stepped up in his place on a month's notice. It was the former NFL defensive tackle's first fight in more than a year.

Mitrione landed a power kick early, then threw another after Nelson fired back with a couple punches. After the second kick, Nelson moved in to clinch, looking to find position to take Mitrione to the ground. But Mitrione defended, reversed position and then landed a solid knee to the body, followed by an elbow.

They broke and went back to the center, and Mitrione threw another high left kick and one to the body. Nelson fired back with punches and Mitrione lost his mouthpiece. But he kept coming forward and the two traded bombs in the center of the cage.

And that's when Nelson took advantage. He landed a right hand that had Mitrione dazed, and he came behind it with a left hand immediately and another right. With Mitrione heading to the ground, Nelson was all over him and landed several heavy hands before Herb Dean got in to stop the fight.

Nelson's win came 2:58 into the first. All five of his UFC wins have come by knockout or TKO.

"I think it's just one of those things -- God blessed me (with striking)," Nelson said. "I used to submit everybody. But when I got my first knockout, I was like, 'This is so much easier than this wrestling and jiu-jitsu stuff.' I was looking to pick him apart and do it in the later rounds and show all the critics that a fat guy can go five rounds.

"It's the first time I've thrown combos -- that's why I can't wait to fight (Junior Dos Santos) or Cain (Velasquez)," Nelson said.

Nelson (18-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) picked up his second straight win and third in his past four fights. Mitrione (5-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) lost for the second straight time following a perfect 5-0 start to his career.

Full results from The Ultimate Fighter 16 finale:

Roy Nelson def. Matt Mitrione via TKO (punches) -- Round 1, 2:58

Colton Smith def. Mike Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Pat Barry def. Shane del Rosario via KO (punches) -- Round 2, 0:26

Dustin Poirier def. Jonathan Brookins via submission (D'Arce choke) -- Round 1, 4:15

Mike Pyle def. James Head via TKO (knee and punches)- - Round 1, 1:55

Johnny Bedford def. Marcos Vinicius via KO (punches) -- Round 2, 1:00

Rustam Khabilov def. Vinc Pichel via KO (slam, punches) -- Round 1, 2:15

T.J. Waldburger def. Nick Catone via submission (triangle choke) -- Round 2, 1:04

Hugo Viana def. Reuben Duran via TKO (punches) -- Round 1, 4:05

Mike Rio def. John Cofer via submission (armbar) -- Round 3, 4:11

Tim Elliott def. Jared Papazian via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)

Erickson also writes for MMAjunkie.com, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group