- Oli Thompson
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Oli Thompson Born Oliver Thompson
January 2, 1980
East Sussex, EnglandResidence England Occupation Strongman Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight 310 pounds (140 kg) Competition record Strongman Competitor for 
United KingdomWorld's Strongest Man Qualified 2008 World's Strongest Man IFSA Strongman World Championships 8th 2006 Europe's Strongest Man Qualified 2004 Europe's Strongest Man Competitor for EnglandBritain's Strongest Man 3rd Britain's Strongest Man 2004 1st Britain's Strongest Man 2006 IFSA British Championships 2nd IFSA British Championships 2005 IFSA England's Strongest Man 3rd IFSA England's Strongest Man 2005 Oli Thompson (born 1980) is a British strongman, mixed martial artist and former holder of the title Britain's Strongest Man.
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Early life
Thompson was born January 2, 1980 in East Sussex. He played rugby union at English county level and decided to try weight training. Thus, when he was 19 he joined Physiques gym in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex and within a matter of weeks he had broken the gym record for dead-lifting with a 260 kg lift. This prompted him to start to focus more on a strict routine of weight and strength in order to become a strength athlete.
Strongman career
Thompson's first competition was the 2001 UK's Strongest Man qualifier. Although he did not qualify, he gained experience and remained focussed on only competing in professional level events. In 2002 he won Kent's Strongest Man, taking first place in 5 out of 6 events. He went on to qualify in 2003 for Britain's Strongest Man ("BSM"), and in 2004 surpassed all expectations when he came third. This earned him the right to compete alongside the top strength athletes in the world at the Moscow Super Series 2004 (known as the 2004 Russia Grand Prix, although in 2004 this was not part of the WSM Super Series and again later in the year at Europe's Strongest Man in Poland.
In 2005 he opted to compete in the IFSA British Championships which was set up in direct rivalry with the BSM after IFSA parted company with the BSM and World's Strongest Man competition organiser TWI. He finished second in that competition to Mark Felix.[1] Like many British strongmen he returned to the TWI British circuit in 2006 and won Britain's Strongest Man that year. He also competed in the 2006 IFSA World Championship where he made the final and came 8th.[2] Disaster struck in February 2007, whilst he was training for the Mohegan Sun Super Series. He was deadlifting and he tore his biceps. Reportedly, he said that it did not hurt. He went on to say "No, there are no nerves in there, it didn’t hurt. I just heard it snap and I was just aware of it. You can feel it come up, but there’s no pain."[2] Although the biceps was repaired Thompson has reported that it feels different and that "it’s just not quite as smooth." Although he has said that he does not think it will ever be the same, he has also said that: "When I get to a competition, I won’t be holding back because of my arm. I’ve already won Britain’s Strongest Man - you don’t want to go down - you’ve got to try and win Britain’s Strongest Man again or it’s pointless. So I’ve got to win it really. That’ll be how I judge where I go from there - if I win it or not. Second place isn’t something I’ll be chuffed with."[2] Thompson trained intensively with training partner Scott Reid, the 2007 Britain’s Strongest Man in the 105 kg weight class. He went on to qualify for the finals of Britain's Strongest Man in 2008 and won his heat in the process. However, the injury was too proximate for him to fully challenge for the title in a field that was widely reported to have been one of the strongest ever.
Thompson had been closely associated with IFSA in the past but states that he always did what he wanted to do. Prior to the BSM 2008 he stated that "If I don’t qualify for Britain’s Strongest Man I may well end up doing the IFSA World Championships.".[2]
As well as Thompson's successful British finals, he also won the South England Strongest Man title three times (2003, 2004 and 2006) and Sussex Strongest Man on three consecutive occasions from 2003 to 2005. He has also competed in a number of Grand Prix events in Dubai, Latvia, Hungary.[2] Thompson, who is 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and weighs 20st, is now in training for the world title in Helsinki in November. He is following in the footsteps of former British and Olympic shot-put champion Geoff Capes who twice won the world strongman title.
Mixed martial arts career
Oli Thompson Born January 2, 1980
East Sussex, EnglandNationality English Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight 246.9 lb (112.0 kg; 17.64 st) Division Heavyweight Fighting out of London, England Team ZT Fight School Mixed martial arts record Total 11 Wins 9 By knockout 3 By submission 5 By decision 1 Losses 2 By knockout 1 By decision 1 Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog Oli Thompson made his MMA debut on 3 Feb 2009, defeating Ashley Pollard by a second round arm triangle choke. He has continued to fight since then, On 26 March 2011, after amassing a record of 7-2-0, with his only losses coming to future UFC heavyweight Rob Broughton and former UFC fighter Joe Vedepo, Thompson took on defending UCMMA champion Ben Smith at UCMMA 19. Thompson won via second round rear naked choke, becoming the new UCMMA Heavyweight Champion.[3]. He then defended his title at UCMMA 21 - Stand Your Ground against boxer-turned mixed martial artist Mark Potter, again winning by Rear-Naked Choke, this time in the first round.[4]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Now 9-2-0, Thompson signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was expected to make his debut against Philip De Fries at UFC 138.[5] However, Thompson was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Rob Broughton.[6]
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown 11 matches 9 wins 2 losses By knockout 3 1 By submission 5 0 By decision 1 1 Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes Win 9-2-0 Mark PotterSubmission (rear-naked choke) UCMMA 21 - Stand Your Ground 26 June 2011 1 2:55 London England Defended UCMMA Heavyweight Championship Win 8–2–0 Ben SmithSubmission (rear naked choke) UCMMA - Lights Out 26 March 2011 2 3:44 London, England Won UCMMA Heavyweight Championship Win 7–2–0 
Nikki KentTKO (punches) ZTFN: Enter the Octagon 3 December 2010 1 N/A Hove, East Sussex Win 6–2–0 
Tomasz CzerwinskiSubmission (rear-naked choke) ZTFN: Stand Your Ground 31 July 2010 1 N/A Eastbourne, East Sussex Win 5–2–0 Ian HawkinsDecision (unanimous) UCMMA - Feel the Pain 20 June 2010 3 5:00 London, England Loss 4–2–0 Rob BroughtonDecision (unanimous) ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide 30 January 2010 3 5:00 Hove, England Loss 4–1–0 
Joe VedepoTKO (punches) ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide 30 January 2010 2 1:24 Hove, England Win 4–0–0 Steve DayKO (punch) ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide 30 January 2010 1 1:07 Hove, England Win 3–0–0 Tomasz KamienczykTKO (punches) ZT Fight Night: Night of Champions 21 August 2009 1 N/A Hove, England Win 2–0–0 Ashley PollardSubmission (punches) ZT Fight Night 16: The Heat is on 19 June 2009 1 2:19 Hove, England Win 1–0–0 Ashley PollardSubmission (arm triangle choke) ZT Fight Night 15 3 April 2009 2 N/A Hove, England References
- ^ 20 June 2005 IFSA Strongman Press Release
- ^ a b c d e Interview with Oli Thompson
- ^ UCMMA Official Website: UCMMA 19 Results
- ^ http://www.fullmount.co.uk/index.php/mma-news/1-latest-news/1345-ucmma-21-results
- ^ "Sources: Thompson-De Fries Targeted for UFC 138 in England". http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Sources-Thompson-De-Fries-Targeted-for-UFC-138-in-England-34374. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "After injuries, De Fries-Broughton slated for UFC 138". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/25705/after-injuries-de-fries-broughton-slated-for-ufc-138-brown-baczynski-at-ufc-139.mma. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
External references
- IFSA Strongman rankings
- Pro Muscle Mag interview
- http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/sport/Thompson-set-for-Ultimate-Challenge.4905400.jp
- Sherdog MMA Profile
Preceded by
Mick GoslingBritain's Strongest Man
2006Succeeded by
Terry HollandsCategories:- 1980 births
- English strength athletes
- Living people
- English mixed martial artists
- Heavyweight mixed martial artists
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