Shawn Tompkins (March 16, 1974 – August 14, 2011)[2] was a Canadian kickboxer and mixed martial artist, and later trainer. At the time of his death, he was an instructor at the Tapout Training Center. He formerly coached the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League.

Shawn Tompkins
Born(1974-03-16)March 16, 1974
Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada
DiedAugust 14, 2011(2011-08-14) (aged 37)
Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada[1]
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
TeamTapout Training Center
Team Tompkins
Xtreme Couture
Rank3rd degree black belt in Shotokan
Years active2000–2001 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total4
Wins0
Losses4
By knockout4
Notable studentsVitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki, Martin Kampmann, Ray Sefo, Wanderlei Silva, Sam Stout
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Biography and career

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Tompkins began studying Shotokan karate at the age of six, and went to be a two-time Canadian National Karate Champion and a third degree black belt in the discipline. He began kickboxing at sixteen years old and competed in 47 matches, holding Canadian, North American and South American titles.[3][4]

At the age of eighteen, he opened his first training facility in Ontario, Canada. He later relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States in August 2007 and worked as the head striking coach at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts before joining the Tapout Training Center in October 2009.[5] He was also the coach for the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League, officially taking the reins from Bas Rutten as the head coach on March 17, 2007, just before their matchup against the San Jose Razorclaws.

Tompkins taught such notable fighters as Vitor Belfort, Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki, Wanderlei Silva and Sam Stout.

On November 30, 2011, at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas during the 2011 World MMA Awards Results, Tompkins was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.[6]

Personal life

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Tompkins was married to Emilie Stout, the sister of fellow fighter, Sam Stout.[7] On Sunday, August 14, 2011, Tompkins died unexpectedly, of a sudden heart attack, in his sleep at the age of 37.[2][8]

Gym history

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The gym's predecessor Team Tompkins MMA System was founded in 2001 by MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins coach of the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League.[9] During his time as head coach he trained the future of Adrenaline's talent as well as being involved with Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts and the Tapout Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The gym saw great success during this time with Team Tompkins holding two belts in TKO/UCC at Lightweight and Featherweight, with a combined total of 11 title defenses between Mark Hominick(7) and Sam Stout(4). During this period Chris Horodecki made it to the finals of the IFL World Grand Prix to challenge for the IFL Lightweight title.[10] "The Coach" corned Mark Hominick in the gyms first UFC title challenge against Jose Aldo at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011, for the inaugural UFC Featherweight Championship.

Tompkins died on August 14, 2011 from a heart attack.[11] He remains as an influential figure and an inspiration to members of the gym.[12][13][14] From December 6, 2011, onward members of the gym were consistently involved in a Toronto based Anti-bullying campaign.[15]

Adrenaline MMA Training & Fitness

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The gym in its current form emerged in 2012,[16] founded by three of Tompkins' star pupils Mark Hominick, Sam Stout, and Chris Horodecki,[17] who went about training the next generation of mixed martial artists out of the newly rebranded Adrenaline MMA Training & Fitness.[18] During this period, Adrenaline talent Chad Laprise embarked on an 7 fight win streak to earn himself a spot on the UFC's reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter.[19] He would go on to win the season's tournament[20] and received bonus awards for Fight of the Season and Performance of the Season.[21] In 2013, Jesse Ronson won the Aggression FC Lightweight Championship and Malcolm Gordon won the HFC Flyweight Championship in 2014. That same year, Adrenaline moved its facility to a new location in London, Ontario. The facility extends over two floors and 11,000 square feet.[22] In 2015, Chris Horodecki challenged Lance Palmer for the World Series of Fighting Featherweight Championship.[23] The gym also began offering female only jujitsu lessons which became popular.[24] In 2016 Malcolm Gordon won the WXC Flyweight Championship and defended it once.[25] 2017-2018 saw the gym hold 3 Championships in TKO Major League MMA. Jesse Ronson won both the TKO Lightweight and Welterweight Championships,[26] and Malcolm Gordon won the TKO Flyweight Championship, defending it twice.[27] Both Ronson[28] and Gordan were invited to join the UFC in 2020.[29]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
4 matches 0 wins 4 losses
By knockout 0 4
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0–4 Joel Leblanc TKO (punches) UCC 6 - Redemption October 19, 2001 1 2:38 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss 0–3 David Loiseau TKO (punches) UCC 4 - Return Of The Super Strikers May 12, 2001 1 1:26 Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Loss 0–2 Steve Vigneault TKO (punches) UCC 2 - The Moment of Truth August 12, 2000 1 2:43 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss 0–1 Matt Rocca TKO (punches) UCC 1 - The New Beginning June 2, 2000 1 8:50 Montreal, Quebec, Canada

References

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  1. ^ "Canadian MMA trainer dies at 37". TorontoSun.com. August 14, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Marrocco, Steven (August 14, 2011). "Sources: Renowned MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins dead at 37". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  3. ^ Legendary Mixed Martial Arts Coach Shawn Tompkins Passes
  4. ^ Profile @ Tapout Training Center
  5. ^ Hui, Ray (October 14, 2009). "Shawn Tompkins Resigns from Xtreme Couture, Joins TapouT Training Center". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  6. ^ Chiappetta, Mike (30 November 2011). "2011 World MMA Awards Results". MMA Writer. mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  7. ^ Rodriguez, Jose (March 22, 2008). "Hands of Stone rocks". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (August 16, 2011). "Tompkins cause of death revealed". LFPress.com. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  9. ^ londonsportshalloffame.com. "Shawn Tompkins". londonsportshalloffame. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  10. ^ mmafighting.com (22 January 2016). "UNTIL THE LAST LIGHT LEAVES LONDON". mmafighting. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  11. ^ "Gone to soon".
  12. ^ ""The Coach"".
  13. ^ mmafighting.com (22 January 2016). "UNTIL THE LAST LIGHT LEAVES LONDON(Tompkins REF)". mmafighting. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  14. ^ mmafighting.com (29 November 2011). "After Death of Coach Shawn Tompkins, Mark Hominick Leans on Teammates(Tompkins REF)". mmafighting. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  15. ^ mmasucka.com (6 December 2011). "Mark Hominick, Sam Stout anti-bullying campaign". mmasucka. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  16. ^ globalnews.ca. "The legacy of Shawn Tompkins continues at Adrenaline MMA". globalnews. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  17. ^ bleacherreport.com. "Adrenline Training Center: Canada's New MMA Training Mecca". bleacherreport. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  18. ^ thelondoner.ca. "The will to fight". thelondoner. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  19. ^ cksn.ca (January 2014). "Laprise Ready For The Ultimate Fight". cksn. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  20. ^ mmafighting.com (16 April 2014). "TUF Nations Finale results: Chad Laprise decisions Olivier Aubin-Mercier". mmafighting. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  21. ^ Keith Grienke (2014-04-14). "The Ultimate Fighter Nations Bonus Winners". topmmanews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  22. ^ Morris Dalla Costa (2014-05-31). "Adrenaline open to all fitness levels". lfpress.com. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  23. ^ Chris Montanini (2015-05-07). "Horodecki taking World Series of Fighting featherweight title shot". thelondoner.ca. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  24. ^ Miranda Brumwell (2015-04-20). "Women's only jiu jitsu taking off at Adrenaline". thelondoner.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  25. ^ Matt Bricker (2016-05-07). "Malcolm Gordon: " I Crave 'A' Class Competition"". mmasucka.com. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  26. ^ Cody Rempel (2018-07-28). "TKO 44 – Live Results". topmmanews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  27. ^ mma-core rep (2018-03-16). "Malcolm Gordon wins TKO Flyweight Championship". mma-core.com. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  28. ^ tsn.ca (24 July 2020). "Canadian Jesse 'The Body Snatcher' Ronson looks forward to UFC return". tsn. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  29. ^ sportsnet.ca. "Canada's Malcom Gordon to fight on UFC Fight Night card in July". sportsnet. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
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