Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and attended Cimarron-Memorial High School, where he competed in wrestling, football, and baseball. Nelson began training in Ark Wong's Ng Ga Kuen Shaolin Kung Fu when he was around 16 years old. Nelson worked briefly as a warehouse worker in 1999. Nelson originally began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under UFC veteran John Lewis in 2000. In 2002 and 2003 he had a short career in rugby, but in 2004 Nelson began his own career in mixed martial arts. Nelson has been a long time student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master Renzo Gracie, who granted him a black belt on August 26, 2009 and has competed at the Abu Dhabi Grappling Championships. From 2010 till 2017 he fought professionally in MMA under the UFC, after which his contract ended and he began fighting under Bellator.