James Thompson (fighter)
| James Thompson | |
|---|---|
| File:Thompson James.jpg | |
| Born | December 16, 1978 Rochdale, England |
| Other names | The Colossus, Megapunk, Ironjaw McGraw |
| Residence | Bristol |
| Nationality | English |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 125.3 kg (276.2 lb; 19.7 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lb) Super Heavyweight (265+ lb) |
| Style | Wrestling, Muay thai, Free style |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Rochdale, England |
| Team | Xtreme Couture[1] London Shootfighters Team Trojan[2] Olympians MMA |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 31 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 14 |
| By knockout | 11 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
James Thompson (born December 16, 1978) is an English mixed martial artist. He fights as a heavyweight and has appeared in such promotions as Elite Xtreme Combat (EliteXC), Pride Fighting Championship, and Cage Rage. He is known for rushing his opponents at the start of the bout.
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[edit] Biography
James Thompson grew up in Rochdale, Greater Manchester and later moved to Bristol in 2001. He worked as a bouncer.[3] He also pursued a career in bodybuilding.[4] Thompson took up the sport of wrestling and competed in a several matches before seeing an MMA match featuring Don Frye, which ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in MMA. He started watching DVDs on Boxing, Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jutsu.
[edit] Early fighting career
Thompson began his mixed martial arts career fighting in the British promotion Ultimate Combat (UC). He developed a rivalry with Mark “The Shark” Goddard after their bout in Ultimate Combat 6: Battle in the Cage. Thompson won the bout by referee stoppage, but Goddard disputed the result, saying that Thompson had tapped earlier to one of his armbar attempts. A rematch at Ultimate Combat 8: Retribution resulted in an 18 second knockout victory for Thompson. After five straight victories, he faced his first loss to Tengiz Tedoradze at Ultimate Combat X. Tedoradze managed to stop Thompson's initial charge and won by doctor stoppage after the second round. Thompson bounced back with a UC championship bout against Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Dan Severn at Ultimate Combat 11: Eyes of the Beast.
[edit] Entry into Pride
After defeating Severn, Thompson made his Pride Fighting Championship debut at PRIDE 28 to face Alexander Emelianenko at Pride 28: High Octane. Despite losing the fight in only eleven seconds, he remained with the organization, earning quick victories over Henry Armstrong Miller and Giant Silva. Thompson became known to Pride fans for his penchant for rushing at opponents at the opening bell, which became known as 'Gong and Dash'. During this time, Thompson alternated appearances in Japan with fights in British organisations such as Cage Rage.
Thompson's career took a downturn with three consecutive losses to Kazuyuki Fujita, Rob Broughton and Jon Olav Einemo. However, he followed up with an upset victory over Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. He next suffered a quick KO at the hands of super heavyweight boxer Eric 'Butterbean' Esch at Cage Rage 20. In his final appearance in Pride, Thompson dominated against UFC veteran Don Frye to a first round stoppage at Pride 34. Thompson followed up with his final appearance in Cage Rage, losing to Neil Grove by knockout in just 10 seconds. Thompson cited a lack of quality heavyweight training partners for his poor performances, and switched training camps to join Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture.[1]
[edit] Entry into EliteXC
Thompson made his EliteXC debut against undefeated 8 - 0 fighter Brett Rogers at the EliteXC: Street Certified on February 16, 2008. Rogers knocked Thompson out in the first round. Despite this loss, Thompson followed up with a headlining appearance at EliteXC: Primetime against streetfighting internet sensation Kimbo Slice. Entering the fight with a considerably swollen cauliflower ear, Thompson managed to control the first two rounds with effective ground and pound.[5] However, both fighters came into the third round substantially winded. Kimbo landed several unanswered blows to Thompson's face whilst on his feet, one of which burst his cauliflower ear, prompting the referee to stop the fight and declare a TKO in Slice's favour. The stoppage caused a great deal of controversy. UFC President Dana White later referred to the fight as a "Travesty".[6]
[edit] Strike Box/Titans Fighting incident
On February 6, 2009, Thompson fought Steve Bossé at Strike Box/Titans Fighting's inaugural event in Quebec, Canada. The event was originally scheduled to be under Strike Box's own rules where only boxing, takedowns and standing submissions were allowed, but the rules were not accepted by the province's athletic commission in time for the event. It was therefore conducted under MMA rules instead. Before the event some fighters agreed to fight under Strike Box's proposed rules as a gentleman's agreement, though the referee in charge would not have any choice but to allow ground fighting were it to happen. Thompson, who later claimed to be unaware of the agreement, proceeded to take down, mount and ground and pound Bosse - as allowed under MMA rules - after Bosse went for a standing guillotine choke at the start of the fight. This caused the audience to boo Thompson and the referee, unaware of that the fight was being conducted under MMA rules. Beer cans and eventually chairs were then thrown into the ring, prompting referee Yves Lavigne to stop the match. Although it was originally declared a no contest[7][8] the fight and its result doesn't appear on either fighter's official fight records.
[edit] Sengoku
Thompson's fought on March 20 at Sengoku 7 against New Zealand standout Jim York, which he lost by KO.[9]
[edit] Dream
Thompson lost in the fight with Alistair Overeem on October 25, 2009 at Dream 12[10]
[edit] Strikeforce
Thompson revealed at the Dream 12 press conference that he has 3 more fights for his Strikeforce contract.
[edit] ZT Fight Night - The Tournament
Thompson competed in the ZT Fight Night Tournament for £10,000 along with 7 other fighters on the 30th of January 2010. He avenged his first career loss against Tengiz Tedoradze in the quarterfinals, his first win in nearly 3 years, breaking a 5-loss streak. He was then knocked out by the eventual tournament winner, Rob Broughton.[11]
[edit] Dream return
Rumours that Thompson could face Ikuhisa Minowa at Dream 16 surfaced.[12] However it was later revealed that Minowa would face Satoshi Ishii at Dream 16.[13][14] Thompson instead fought DEEP veteran Yusuke Kawaguchi and lost via a controversial Split Decision. Many believed the two majority decision judges were biased towards the Japanese home country fighter after Thompson retained top position and did much more damage at the end of the first and throughout the second round.[15]
[edit] Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki
James Thompson fought five-time “World’s Strongest Man” Mariusz Pudzianowski at KSW XVI on May 21, 2011.[16] He won the fight via submission in the second round.
In the rematch at KSW XVII, Thompson lost a controversial decision. After the fight, he launched a verbal assault directed at the promotion in which he ranted: "F**king joke. Give Mariusz a big round of applause. Come on. What a f***ing joke. I thought KSW was really trying to be serious. If you can watch that back and call that serious, then (looking at the promoter) you're f***ed, and KSW is going down the f***ing toilet." Two days later the promotion changed the result to a No Contest.
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
Ultimate Combat World Heavyweight Champion
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 31 matches | 16 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 10 | 11 |
| By submission | 5 | 2 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Sapp | SFL | March 11, 2011 | |||||||
| NC | 16-14 (1) | Mariusz Pudzianowski | No Contest | KSW XVII | November 26, 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | |
| Win | 16-14 | Mariusz Pudzianowski | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | KSW XVI | May 21, 2011 | 2 | 1:06 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Loss | 15–14 | Yusuke Kawaguchi | Decision (split) | Dream 16 | September 25, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Nagoya, Aichi, Japan | |
| Loss | 15–13 | Miodrag Petkovic | KO (punch) | Milenium Fight Challenge 4 | June 4, 2010 | 1 | 1:01 | Split, Croatia, Croatia | |
| Loss | 15–12 | Rob Broughton | KO (punch) | ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide | January 30, 2010 | 2 | 2:28 | Hove, England | |
| Win | 15–11 | Tengiz Tedoradze | TKO (punches) | ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide | January 30, 2010 | 2 | 2:55 | Hove, England | |
| Loss | 14–11 | Alistair Overeem | Submission (guillotine choke) | Dream 12 | October 25, 2009 | 1 | 0:33 | Osaka, Osaka, Japan | |
| Loss | 14–10 | Jim York | KO (punch) | World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7 | March 20, 2009 | 1 | 4:33 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 14–9 | Kimbo Slice | TKO (punches) | EliteXC: Primetime | May 31, 2008 | 3 | 0:38 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 14–8 | Brett Rogers | KO (punches) | EliteXC: Street Certified | February 16, 2008 | 1 | 2:24 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 14–7 | Neil Grove | KO (punch) | Cage Rage 22 | July 14, 2007 | 1 | 0:10 | London, England | |
| Win | 14–6 | Don Frye | TKO (punches) | Pride 34 | April 8, 2007 | 1 | 6:23 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 13–6 | Eric Esch | KO (punches) | Cage Rage 20 | February 10, 2007 | 1 | 0:43 | London, England | |
| Win | 13–5 | Hidehiko Yoshida | TKO (strikes) | Pride Shockwave 2006 | December 31, 2006 | 1 | 7:50 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 12–5 | John-Olav Einemo | Submission (armbar) | 2H2H: Pride & Honor | November 12, 2006 | 1 | 4:18 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 12–4 | Rob Broughton | TKO (strikes) | Cage Rage 17 | July 1, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Kazuyuki Fujita | KO (right hook) | Pride Total Elimination Absolute | May 5, 2006 | 1 | 8:25 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 12–2 | Giant Silva | KO (punches) | Pride Shockwave 2005 | December 31, 2005 | 1 | 1:28 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 11–2 | Alexandru Lungu | TKO (knees and punches) | Pride 30 | October 23, 2005 | 1 | 2:13 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 10–2 | Andy Costello | TKO (strikes) | Cage Rage 13: No Fear | September 10, 2005 | 1 | 2:33 | London, England | |
| Win | 9–2 | Autimio Antonia | KO (punch) | Urban Destruction 2 | July 30, 2005 | 1 | 0:54 | Bristol, England | |
| Win | 8–2 | Henry Armstrong Miller | KO (punch) | Pride Bushido 8 | July 17, 2005 | 1 | 1:21 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 7–2 | Nikolajus Cilkinas | TKO (strikes) | Urban Destruction 1 | April 10, 2005 | 1 | 1:04 | England | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Alexander Emelianenko | KO (left hook) | Pride 28 | October 31, 2004 | 1 | 0:11 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 6–1 | Dan Severn | Decision (unanimous) | UC 11: Wrath of the Beast | September 12, 2004 | 5 | 5:00 | Bristol, England | |
| Loss | 5–1 | Tengiz Tedoradze | TKO (corner stoppage) | Ultimate Combat X | June 20, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | England | |
| Win | 5–0 | Aaron Marsa | Submission (strikes) | UC 9: Rebellion | March 28, 2004 | 1 | 0:20 | Bristol, England | |
| Win | 4–0 | Marc Goddard | KO (knee) | UC 8: Retribution | November 30, 2003 | 1 | 0:18 | Chippenham, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Richie Cranny | Submission (bulldog choke) | UC 7: World Domination | September 6, 2003 | 1 | 1:34 | Chippenham, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Marc Goddard | Submission (strikes) | UC 6: Battle in the Cage | June 14, 2003 | 2 | 0:47 | Chippenham, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Will Elworthy | Submission (forearm choke) | Ground & Pound 2 | January 25, 2003 | 1 | 4:22 | England |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b "James Thomspon Joins Team Xtreme Couture". FightersOnlyMagazine.com. 9 February 2007. http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=167. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ http://sherdog.com/fightfinder.php?search=yes&association=Team%20Trojan
- ^ "James Thompson - 'The Colossus' - MMA Fighter Profile". ProElite.com. http://jamesthompson.proelite.com/. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Carpinello, Dave. "Exclusive: James Thompson: The "Colossus" Returns". PunchDrunkGamer.com. http://www.punchdrunkgamer.com/index.php?view=article&catid=30%3Ainterviews&id=118%3Ajames-thompson&option=com_content&Itemid=72. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ "EliteXC "Primetime" Play-by-Play". Sherdog.com. 31 May 2008. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/elitexc-primetime-play-by-play-12981. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Hunt, Loretta (28 July 2008). "EliteXC-CBS Ratings Down 43 Percent". Sherdog.com. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/elitexc-cbs-ratings-down-43-percent-13805. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ Phan, Kage. "Chaos at Strike Box in Montreal: Fans nearly Riot". MMATraining.com. http://www.mmatraining.com/featured/chaos-at-strike-box-in-montreal-fans-nearly-riot/. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ^ Shnerer, Ariel. "James Thompson Responds to Near Riot at Titans Fighting". TheFightNetwork.com. http://www.thefightnetwork.com/news/mma/2715/james_thompson_responds_to_near_riot_at_titans_fighting. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/14047/four-new-gp-participants-thomspon-vs-york-set-for-march-20-sengoku.mma
- ^ "Alistair Overeem vs. James Thompson official for Sunday's DREAM.12 event". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/16592/alistair-overeem-vs-james-thompson-official-for-sundays-dream-12-event.mma. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ^ http://www.ztfightnight.com/
- ^ http://twitter.com/SchiavelloVOICE/status/21864815890%7C SchiavelloVOICE Twitter
- ^ "仰天カード実現!! 9・25『DREAM.16』日本ガイシホール大会追加対戦カード発表!!". dreamofficial.com. 2010-09-22. http://dreamofficial.com/free/news/detail.php?id=1285132846.
- ^ http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/09/22/ikuhisa-minowa-to-face-satoshi-ishii-at-dream-16/
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIngeSi57fg
- ^ "Pudzianowski-‘Colossus’ Announced for May 21 KSW Card". Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki. 2011-05-08. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Pudzianowski-Colossus-Announced-for-May-21-KSW-Card-31446.
[edit] External links
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