Oli Thompson
Oli Thompson at the Bellator 158 weigh-ins
BornOliver John Thompson
(1980-01-02) 2 January 1980
East Sussex, England
Other namesThe Spartan
NationalityEnglish
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight223 lb (101 kg; 15 st 13 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach75 in (191 cm)
TeamZT Fight Skool
Years active2009–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total38
Wins22
By knockout14
By submission4
By decision3
By disqualification1
Losses16
By knockout9
By submission2
By decision5
Occupationmixed martial artist
Strongman
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Competition record
Strongman
Representing  Great Britain
World'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
Representing  England
Britain'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

Oliver Thompson (born 2 January 1980) is an English mixed martial artist and retired strongman. Thompson currently competes in MMA’s heavyweight division. He has previously competed for major organisations such as UFC, Bellator, KSW, and BAMMA. In 2006, Thompson won the title of Britain's Strongest Man.

Background

Born in East Sussex to a Northern Irish father and an English mother, Thompson grew up playing rugby union at English county level. He has stated his favourite thing about rugby was 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. He has 4 children, and lives happily with his wife and daughters.

Strongman career

Thompson's first competition was the 2001 UK's Strongest Man Qualifier. Although he did not qualify, he gained experience and remained focused 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 eighth.[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 Championship 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]

Mixed martial arts career

Oli Thompson made his mixed martial arts debut on 3 February 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, 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

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]

Thompson made his official debut against UFC newcomer Shawn Jordan at UFC on FX 2. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round after a back-and-forth fight.[7]

Thompson next fought Phil De Fries at UFC on FOX 4, in his second UFC outing.[8] He lost via submission in the second round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

BAMMA

Thompson headlined BAMMA 15 against Albanian Heavyweight Gzim Selmani.[9] Thompson lost the fight via technical submission (guillotine choke).

Inoki Genome Federation

Thompson entered the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) World Grand Prix for the vacant IGF Championship and fought in the Quarterfinal against Japanese legend Ikuhisa Minowa whom he defeated by Unanimous Decision at Inoki Genome Fight 3. Thompson next fought Chris Barnett in the Grand Prix semifinal at Inoki Genome Fight 4 to advance to the Championship match. Oli Thompson defeated Fernando Rodrigues, Jr by TKO in the first round to capture the 2015 IGF World GP and the IGF Championship.

Bellator MMA

In June 2016, it was announced that Thompson had signed with Bellator MMA. He made his promotional debut against Matt Mitrione on 16 July 2016 at Bellator 158. Thompson lost the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the second round.

In his second fight for the promotion, Thompson faced former training partner Cheick Kongo at Bellator 172 on 18 February 2017. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Post Bellator

After going 4-2 fighting around the world, Thompson faced Sergei Kharitonov at MFP Parus Fight Championship on November 7, 2020. He lost the fight via first-round knockout.[10]

After losing two bouts on the Croatian regional scene, Thompson faced Adam Wieczorek on September 24, 2022 at MMA Attack 4, losing via TKO stoppage in the third round.[11]

Thompson faced Aleksei Oleinik at REN TV Fight Club: Oleinik vs. Thompson on May 26, 2023, and won via knock out in the first round.[12]

Championships and accomplishments

  • Ultimate Challenge MMA
    • UCMMA Heavyweight Championship (one time)
  • Inoki Genome Federation
  • Road FC
    • Road FC Heavyweight Championship (one time)
  • ZT Fight Night
    • ZT Fight Night Heavyweight tournament finalist
  • Fight Exclusive Night
    • FEN Heavyweight Championship (one time, current)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
38 matches 22 wins 16 losses
By knockout 14 9
By submission 4 2
By decision 3 5
By disqualification 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 22–16 Aleksei Oleinik KO (punch) REN TV Fight Club: Oleinik vs. Thompson 26 May 2023 1 4:25 Moscow, Russia
Loss 21–16 Adam Wieczorek TKO (punches) MMA Attack 4 24 September 2022 3 2:13 Będzin, Poland
Loss 21–15 Ivan Vitasović KO (head kick) FNC 6 17 June 2022 2 2:10 Karlovac, Croatia For the FNC Heavyweight Championship.
Loss 21–14 Saša Milinković Decision (split) ARMAGEDON 2 FINALS 4 December 2021 3 5:00 Osijek, Croatia
Loss 21–13 Sergei Kharitonov KO (punch) MFP Parus Fight Championship 7 November 2020 1 2:50 Dubai, United Arab Emirates For the Parus FC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 21–12 Szymon Bajor KO (punch) FEN 28 13 June 2020 1 0:23 Lublin, Poland Won FEN Heavyweight Championship.
Loss 20–12 Ante Delija TKO (punches) KSW 51: Croatia 9 November 2019 2 1:58 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 20–11 Kamil Bazelak TKO (knees and punches) Sparta Fight Series 4 7 September 2019 1 N/A Eastbourne, England
Loss 19–11 Tarek Suleiman TKO (punches) UAE Warriors 1 3 May 2019 2 4:42 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 19–10 Roman Wehbe TKO (knees to the body) Abu Dhabi Warriors 5 26 January 2019 2 3:54 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 18–10 Chaolong Deng TKO (knees to the body) Road FC 047 12 May 2018 2 3:49 Beijing, China Won Road FC Heavyweight Championship.
Loss 17–10 Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 172 18 February 2017 3 5:00 San Jose, California, United States
Loss 17–9 Matt Mitrione TKO (punches) Bellator 158 16 July 2016 2 4:21 London, England
Win 17–8 Fernando Rodrigues Júnior TKO (punches) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2015 31 December 2015 1 2:08 Tokyo, Japan Won IGF World GP 2015 and the IGF Championship.
Win 16–8 Michal Wlodarek DQ (illegal knee) KSW 32 31 October 2015 3 1:42 London, England
Win 15–8 Chris Barnett Decision (unanimous) Inoki Genome Fight 4 29 August 2015 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan IGF World Grand Prix Semifinal.
Win 14–8 Kamil Bazelak TKO (knee) Macto Championships: Osipczak vs. Redfearn 27 June 2015 1 3:06 Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England
Win 13–8 Ikuhisa Minowa Decision (unanimous) Inoki Genome Fight 3 11 April 2015 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan IGF World Grand Prix Quarterfinal.[13]
Loss 12–8 Brett McDermott KO (punches) BAMMA 17 6 December 2014 1 1:43 Manchester, England Light Heavyweight debut.
Loss 12–7 Mariusz Pudzianowski Decision (unanimous) KSW 27 17 May 2014 2 5:00 Gdańsk, Poland
Loss 12–6 Gzim Selmani Technical Submission (guillotine choke) BAMMA 15 5 April 2014 1 0:18 London, England
Win 12–5 Kamil Walus TKO (punches) KSW 25 7 December 2013 2 1:34 Wroclaw, Poland
Win 11–5 Kevin Asplund TKO (punches) GWC: The British Invasion: US vs. UK 29 June 2013 1 3:21 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss 10–5 Karol Bedorf Decision (unanimous) KSW 22 16 March 2013 3 5:00 Warsaw, Poland
Win 10–4 Ivan Pioneer TKO (submission to punches) CSMMA: Ultimate Conflict 3 10 November 2012 1 0:45 London, England
Loss 9–4 Phil De Fries Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera 4 August 2012 2 4:16 Los Angeles, California, United States
Loss 9–3 Shawn Jordan TKO (knee and punches) UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann 3 March 2012 2 1:07 Sydney, Australia
Win 9–2 Mark Potter Submission (rear-naked choke) UCMMA 21: Stand Your Ground 25 June 2011 1 2:55 London, England Defended UCMMA Heavyweight Championship.
Win 8–2 Ben Smith Submission (rear-naked choke) UCMMA 19: Lights Out 26 March 2011 2 3:44 London, England Won UCMMA Heavyweight Championship.
Win 7–2 Nikki Kent TKO (punches) ZTFN: Enter the Octagon 3 December 2010 1 N/A Hove, East Sussex
Win 6–2 Tomasz Czerwinski Submission (rear-naked choke) ZTFN: Stand Your Ground 31 July 2010 1 N/A Eastbourne, East Sussex
Win 5–2 Ian Hawkins Decision (unanimous) UCMMA 13: Feel the Pain 20 June 2010 3 5:00 London, England
Loss 4–2 Rob Broughton Decision (unanimous) ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide 30 January 2010 3 5:00 Hove, England
Loss 4–1 Joe Vedepo TKO (punches) ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide 30 January 2010 2 1:24 Hove, England
Win 4–0 Steve Day KO (punch) ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide 30 January 2010 1 1:07 Hove, England
Win 3–0 Tomasz Kamienczyk TKO (punches) ZT Fight Night: Night of Champions 21 August 2009 1 N/A Hove, England
Win 2–0 Ashley Pollard TKO (submission to punches) ZT Fight Night 16: The Heat is on 19 June 2009 1 2:19 Hove, England
Win 1–0 Ashley Pollard Submission (arm-triangle choke) ZT Fight Night 15 3 April 2009 2 N/A Hove, England

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Is This Britain's Next Strongest Man? - Powershotsmag.com". powershotsmag.com.
  3. Rhisiart ap William. "UCMMA 19 Results". ucmma.com.
  4. "UCMMA 21 Results - MMA News & MMA Video - Full Mount MMA - Mixed Martial Arts Network". Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  5. "Sources: Thompson-De Fries Targeted for UFC 138 in England". Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  6. "After injuries, De Fries-Broughton slated for UFC 138". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  7. "UFC on FX 2:Alves vs. Kampmann". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  8. "UK UFC News - Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson at UFC on Fox 4". YourMMA.tv. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  9. "FightCenter - Tapology". Tapology.
  10. Alexander K. Lee (8 November 2020). "Video: Sergei Kharitonov scores face-plant KO against Oli Thompson". mmafighting.com.
  11. Celuch, Martyna. "Adam Wieczorek udanie powraca do MMA i ubija Thompsona w 3. rundzie" (in Polish). Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. "Video: Aleksei Oleinik hits canvas hard in brutal knockout loss to fellow UFC vet Oli Thompson". MMA Fighting.
  13. "INOKI GENOME FIGHT 3 - アントニオ猪木 IGFプロレスリング". Igf.jp. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
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