Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson Bio

Roy Nelson (born June 20, 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator MMA. He has formerly competed for the UFC, EliteXC, the IFL, BodogFIGHT, and was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.

Nelson is also the former IFL Heavyweight Champion, competing under Ken Shamrock and the Lion’s Den. Nelson briefly trained in Karate and began training in Ark Wong’s Ng Ga Kuen Shaolin Kung Fu when he was 15 years old. He began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under UFC veteran John Lewis in 2000 and after working as a school teacher for a few years, Nelson began his own career in mixed martial arts.

Nelson made his skilled mixed martial arts debut at a tournament on April 17, 2004. Nelson won each of his fights, winning the Rage on the River Heavyweight Tournament. He compiled a record of 6–1 before being signed by the IFL. He made his promotional debut at IFL: Oakland on January 19, 2007, against veteran Vince Lucero. Nelson won via TKO in the first round. In the 2007 IFL World Grand Prix, Nelson became the Heavyweight Champion, defeating Antoine Jaoude on December 29, 2007. Nelson successfully defended his title twice, before the IFL ceased operations.

From 2010 till 2017, Nelson fought professionally in MMA under the UFC, after which his contract ended and he began fighting under Bellator.