Tafon Nchukwi was born in western Cameroon and grew up in Maryland. In high school, Nchukwi was a multi-sport athlete, playing soccer, football, baseball, and wrestling at various points. Nchukwi was attending college when he saw a thirty-day free trial ad online for a local MMA gym. At this point he dropped out to begin training in mixed martial arts, taking up work as a security guard and Uber driver on the side. Nchukwi is a two time WKA x2 national champion and a WKA ×2 2017 world champion. He is also a  jiu-jitsu blue belt and a 2017 IBJJF PAN Silver medalist. Nchukwi's nickname "Da Don" was inspired by his attempts to teach people how to pronounce his name, as they would often bring up mobster John Gotti's nickname "Teflon Don."

Nchukwi made his MMA debut in 2019 racking up three straight TKO victories. This earned Nchukwi a spot on Dana White's Contender's Series Season 4, Week 6. He would earn a UFC contract by defeating Al Matavao via head kick KO. Nchukwi has since gone 2-3 in the UFC, with wins over fellow Contender's Series alumni Jamie Pickett and Mike Rodriguez and losses to Jun Yong Park, Azamat Murzakanov, and Carlos Ulberg.
Nchukwi carries the flag of the breakaway Republic of Ambazonia in his fights. Ambazonia is an unrecognized separatist state within Cameroon populated primarily by Anglophones. Nchukwi hopes to raise awareness of Amabazonia through his fighting and give his friends and family back home hope.