A native of Columbus, OH, Sims was a star center on the basketball team at Amanda-Clearcreek High School, and went on to the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati.  Upon his arrival at college, Sims decided to pursue a career in professional wrestling and dropped out after a semester to move back to Columbus in order to train.  There, he linked up with Mark Coleman, who had dabbled in professional wrestling.  Coleman had a better plan for Sims and convinced him to train in mixed martial arts, believing his size and length would be hard on opponents.  Coleman’s instincts proved to be correct, and 10 years of training with Coleman’s Team Hammer House, Sims has compiled over 20 wins, including victories in his last three bouts by either knockout or submission. 

Sims is no stranger to the Octagon™, as he had three fights in the UFC® between 2003 and 2004, including two losses to current interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir, with whom he had a very heated rivalry.  He longs to exact revenge against Mir, and “The Ultimate Fighter” is his first step in doing so.

When he’s not training, the charismatic Sims is the owner of a mixed martial arts gym in Ohio, and helps out in the community by serving as the chief of the Police Athletic League, which runs youth programs in karate, boxing and grappling.