 Black was born in Ottumwa, Iowa and began wrestling when he was in the third grade.He moved to Bettendorf, Iowa and then began making the transition to mixed martial arts.Black had a very successful start to his career, holding a record of 12-0 in small organizations such as SuperBrawl in Hawaii, Extreme Challenge, and HOOKnSHOOT with many of the wins coming in the first round.