Roy Nelson
20-Jun-1976
United States
Athlete
He was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and attended Cimarron-Memorial High School, where he competed in wrestling, soccer, and baseball. Nelson began training at Ark Wong's Ng Ga Kuen Shaolin Kung Fu at the age of sixteen. Nelson worked part-time as a warehouse worker in 1999. Nelson first trained in Brazil Jiu-Jitsu under UFC veteran John Lewis in 2000. In 2002 and 2003 he had a short career in rugby, but in 2004 Nelson started his own career in the mixed martial arts. Nelson has long been a student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master Renzo Gracie, who gave him a black belt on August 26, 2009 and has competed in the Abu Dhabi Grappling Championships. From 2010 until 2017 he fought professionally in MMA under the UFC, after which his contract expired and he started fighting under Bellator.