Din Thomas
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It’s lately win or go home inside the Octagon … literally.
The UFC — in a move to trim its roster and offer the the better fighters more opportunities to compete — has once again released several fighters from their contracts after losing performances, including Din Thomas, Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Tommy Speer, according to the most recent print edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
These combatants join Jake O’Brien, Travis Lutter, David Heath, Kalib Starnes, Joe Doerksen and John Halverson on the growing list of recent Zuffa contract casualties.
Thomas is perhaps the most accomplished veteran to get the axe — he was considered a top contender in the stacked 155-pound division prior to back-to-back losses (one was because he blew out his knee during the fight.) “Dinyero” — perhaps sensing that the end was near — recently revealed his desires to compete at 145 pounds.
Whether or not he lands in the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) promotion remains to be see.
Speer, of course, was the runner up during The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 show, losing in the finals to eventual champion Mac Danzing via first round technical knockout. The “Farm Boy” was then blasted out in his next fight against Anthony Johnson at UFC Fight Night 13 last month.
That’s not a glowing endorsement of the talent pool of the mixed martial arts reality series.
Hironaka was a very tough fighter who could just not get it together inside the Octagon. He lost three of four bouts, including a “Fight of the Night” against Jonathan Goulet at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ on April 19.
If nothing else this latest news puts more pressure on fighters to not only win, but perform well if given the chance to fight for the UFC. It also ensures that, hopefully, we see more of the top fighters competing against better competition more often.
Written by admin on May 5th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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(“Oh, hello poor people.” — philanthropist Calvin Ayre.)
“The only organization that wasn’t willing to make me an offer was the UFC. They don’t want the best fighters; they want the best fighters that they can control.”
— Matt Lindland on his new deal with Affliction. Lindland also revealed that EliteXC approached him with an offer, but was outbid by the t-shirt company turned MMA-promoter.
“We’re going to make the WEC the smaller weights and the UFC will be the heavier weights. We’ll probably take some of the guys in the higher weights, the champions over there and bring them into UFC. We’re still trying to figure that out.”
— Dana White on further distinguishing Zuffa’s MMA properties. He told the Canadian Press that the UFC has no plans to install a 145-pound division or a women’s division.
“While I know I can win against any lightweight in the world on a given day, I fell twice in a row [to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer]. Therefore, I’m going to bow out. Good luck to those guys. I’m going to drop down to 145 lbs and see if those guys down there will embrace me.”
— Din Thomas on his future plans, which will hopefully include the WEC’s featherweight division.
“You’ve likely heard the rumblings and rumors… and for once…. it’s true… I’m packing it in! Well, who am I kidding? I was really more of a brand ambassador for Bodog the past while anyway – but it was fun while it lasted.”
— Calvin Ayre announcing his retirement from Bodog, which will be restructuring and returning its focus to gaming, and not so much on money-losing fight promotions.
“I was asked by the UFC to help with security when the 2 fighters entered the ring area. They where more worried about Matt than GSP. Next thing I know some wack job is jumping over the barriers and charging the ring. I didn’t want to hurt the guy so I was just going to put him to sleep and then help get him out of there before he hurt someone or himself.”
— UFC ref Dan Miragliotta (who comes in at 6′4”, 296 pounds) on his rear-naked-choke of Joe Asshole at UFC 83.
Written by admin on April 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
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On April 2, Josh Neer will make his return to the Octagon after almost two years away from the promotion when he takes on lightweight division veteran Din Thomas at UFC Fight Night 13 in Broomfield, Colo.
The Des Moines-based fighter out of Iowa is eager to get back in the eight-sided cage.
“It feels good to be back in the UFC,” Neer told MMAMania.com. “It’s just a different atmosphere then the other shows.”
“The Dentist” recently inked a three-fight deal with the UFC and looks to take full advantage of his opportunity when he takes on Thomas.
“My goal is to win and see how far I can get,” Neer said. “I think before I went in there thinking ‘if I lose oh well as long as I make it exciting.’ Now I want to be exciting but I also want to win.”
Neer has fought in smaller promotions between his stints in the UFC. His last fight was in October, when he defeated Nick Sorg at a Cage Combat Championship show. He won that fight via arm bar submission in the first round.
Neer also competed once in the IFL, fighting as a replacement on behalf of the Quad Cities Silverbacks. Neer lost to Mark Miller in the first round via knockout. His current MMA record is 23-6-1 (2-3 in the UFC). His last UFC fight was against Nick Diaz at UFC 62 during which he lost via submission in the third round.
Neer makes his return against a tough fighter in Thomas who last fought in September against Kenny Florian at Ultimate Fight Night 11. The American Top Team fighter lost the bout and suffered a knee injury in that fight. With Thomas looking to get back on winning ways, Neer knows this fight will be a challenge.
“I think Din Thomas is a tough opponent,” Neer said. “Anyone who has wins over Clay Guida, Jens Pulver and Matt Serra is certainly no push over.”
Neer has focused on improving his stand-up during his time away from the UFC.
“One thing I’ve been doing differently is moving my head and cutting angles,” Neer said. “I think I got caught up in just straight boxing for awhile. I’m trying to do everything now with the kicks, knees and elbows.”
Neer is not worried about his time away from the UFC. He’s confident that he has fought well enough to not worry about the time away from the Octagon.
“I think I’ve fought pretty well outside of the UFC. Pretty much all the guys I fought were pretty decent,” Neer said. “I beat T.J. Waldburger pretty quick, who turned around and beat Pete Spratt his next fight. I beat a game Paul Rodriguez in the first round. My only set back was against Mark Miller when I got caught with a punch I didn’t see. When I’m motivated I can beat about anyone.”
He sure sounds motivated for his UFC return. And a win over Thomas will certainly make Neer a relevant fighter in the UFC lightweight division.
Written by admin on March 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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When Din Thomas was arrested for holding unlicensed amateur MMA matches in his gym, the world of the “smoker” was dragged out from the shadows. Though these unsanctioned fights are rarely policed, they’re generally illegal, which highlights a little-discussed challenge of being a mixed martial artist — how can you gain enough experience to turn pro if it’s impossible to compete as an amateur?
FIGHT! Magazine’s March issue hits newsstands today (pick it up at Borders, Barnes and Noble, or Walden Books), and it features an in-depth article on the history and legal status of smokers, and what’s being done to regulate amateur bouts. Check it out below, and let us know how you feel. Are you an amateur fighter struggling to find matches in your home state to build up experience? What special rules (if any) should be in place to protect fighters in amateur bouts? Should amateur fighters just man up, jump into the fire, and stop bitching about gaining experience before putting their records on the line? (Equally valid point-of-view, by the way.)
SMOKER
By Neal Taflinger
Someone broke the first rule of fight club, and Din Thomas wound up in jail. On October 31, 2007, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, police arrested Thomas, a 31-year-old Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, for holding illegal cage fights in his St. Lucie West training center.
Two weeks earlier, police received an anonymous tip about a so-called fight club being held on October 19 at Thomas’ American Top Team gym. Police attended the event, a smoker featuring eight of Thomas’ students, fighting in front of friends and family. The officers filed a report stating that Thomas charged approximately 150 spectators $10 each for entry to the unsanctioned amateur event, and had no medical staff on hand.
Thomas’ arrest brought widespread attention to smokers – combat sports’ not-so-dirty, not-so-little, not-so-secret dirty little secret. Unfamiliar to many casual fans, smokers are a long-standing tradition in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts. These unsanctioned, often illegal fights are organized in gyms or private clubs to give young fighters experience in front of a crowd. Most smokers are held without incident, and often feature police officers as spectators or participants.
Professional prize fighting was illegal in many municipalities in the early to mid 20th century. Loopholes allowed for sparring between members of private clubs for exercise and entertainment, so promoters skirted the law by holding bouts in Eagle and Elk lodges, Knights of Columbus halls, and American Legion posts. Fighters and spectators simply joined the club and bought a ticket; authorities mostly looked the other way. These fights became known for the noxious cloud of tobacco smoke hanging over the crowd.
When Asian martial arts became popular in America after World War II, full-contact karate competitors continued the smoker tradition of their knuckle-bustin’ forebears. Over time, state lawmakers became comfortable with kickboxing, but the brutal elbows and knees of Muay Thai were considered beyond the pale. Until the sport was sanctioned, “guys did gym shows under the radar,” says famed kickboxer and trainer Jeff “Duke” Roufus.
States were hesitant to sanction no-holds-barred bouts in the early to mid-1990s, so cage fighters retreated to gyms, warehouses, pole barns, and discreet nightclubs to compete. Even now that the sport has established rigorous safety guidelines and unified rules, states are slow to legitimize it.
According to UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner, 32 states regulate professional MMA and more are coming on board. But the sport is still illegal in some states and unregulated in others. Amateur matches are illegal in many more states, including some that allow pro bouts like California and Florida. These states host as many or more pro fights each year than Nevada does, but offer no structured opportunities to homegrown fighters looking for experience before taking on pro competition.
While Thomas says smokers are common in Florida, he never competed in them before turning pro, opting instead to compete in Japanese-style shoot fights. He believes that experience is essential and wants his own fighters to be tested in serious competition before jumping on pro cards. Thomas feels that the booming popularity of the sport has resulted in Florida’s professional undercards being filled with amateur quality fighters. “Guys who have no business fighting are ruining themselves early,” says Thomas, “They think they are ready to fight and they ain’t.”
(more…)
Written by admin on February 19th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Din Thomas (20-7) will most likely return from a knee injury to face Josh Neer (23-6-1) at UFC Fight Night 13 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado, on April 2, according to MMAWeekly.com.
No bout agreements have been signed at this time bit appears as if the match up will be booked soon.
“Dinyero” tweaked his knee in the first round during a fight with Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 11 in September 2007. He continued to try and fight but eventually succumbed to a rear naked choke.
While recovering, Thomas was arrested for staging illegal “smoker” fights at his American Top Team (ATT) gym in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The trumped-up charges were dropped soon thereafter.
Neer has not competed inside the Octagon since a submission loss (kimura) to Nick Diaz at UFC 62: “Liddell vs. Sobral” in August 2006. He has since gone on to win six of his last seven fights in several other smaller organizations outside the UFC.
“The Dentist” holds notable wins over Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard and will look to follow in their footsteps with a drop to lightweight.
This is another solid match up added to an absolutely ridiculous UFC Fight Night 13 card. Lightweights Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon will throwdown in the main event of the evening, and a star-studded line up of fighters will fill-out the rest of the card.
To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 13 fight card click here.
Written by admin on January 25th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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It appears that the ‘illegal cage fighting’ charges leveled against UFC lightweight Din Thomas last month were much ado about nothing.
Here’s a snip from the Palm Beach Post:
“… the state attorney’s office decided not to file formal charges against Thomas largely because of an exception to the ‘prohibited competitions’ law that allows such competitions for training. He said if the fighter or participants in the match were students at Thomas’ school, and the purpose of the school is to teach martial arts, then they meet the exception to the law.”
From the outset Thomas maintained his innocence, claiming that the so-called “fight club” were just sparring sessions to get his American Top Team students in Port St. Lucie, Fla., experience competing in front of a live crowd.
It certainly didn’t help that there was no medical team present during these sessions and attendees were charged a fee to take in the action (all proceeds went toward a raffle). Regardless, the truth surrounding the situation has emerged and Thomas will be around to fight another day … literally.
“Dinyero” was facing a maximum five-year bit in prison if he was found guilty of the third-degree felony offense.
Now the former contestant on season four of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) can focus on rehabbing the knee he injured during a loss to Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 11 in September and returning to competition sometime in the first few months of 2008.
What a difference … and a relief.
Written by admin on December 1st, 2007 with comments disabled.
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Apparently there’s a “Free Din Thomas” movement:
Read more on Five Ounces of Pain (www.FiveOuncesofPain.com)
Written by admin on November 6th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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“[Din Thomas] did not break the law that he is being charged with breaking…. These were sparring sessions to get participants experience…. We see this as training sessions, sparring sessions between teammates.”
– Cory Sucher — the lawyer for UFC lightweight fighter Din Thomas — responds via TCPalm.com to recent charges that his client coordinated illegal “cage fighting” matches near his American Top Team training facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida. To see the actual arrest warrant click here.
Written by admin on November 3rd, 2007 with comments disabled.
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UFC veteran Din Thomas, who runs an American Top Team school in Port St. Lucie, Florida was arrested for allegedly hosting unsanctioned MMA fighting events at the training center.
Din Thomas has been charged with “felony prohibited competitions” charge.
Officers in plain clothes were at American Top Team Port St. Lucie on Tuesday, according to a warrant application filed by officer Brian Kenny stated:
“Once on scene I observed… a large caged octagon ring with two men inside fighting. There was a third male in the octagon acting as a referee. Around the octagon there were several people (approx. 150 men, women and minors) sitting and standing on make shift stands and chairs facing the octagon cheering while watching the two men fight. Both fighters wore gloves but did not have any protective headgear on. At the front door to the location there was a table with a small sign stating ‘$10.00 per person.’ Also located on the table was a roll of raffle tickets.”
Ordinarily, this wouldn’t surprise me, because Florida doesn’t allow amateur MMA matches in the state, so it’s common for schools to have “smokers”, which are MMA fights used to get amateurs accustomed to fighting in front of a crowd, but according to the police report Din Thomas said these fights were primarily sparring matches. However, officer Kenny stated that each match had timed rounds, a referee that determined a winner, and that he saw fighters using “punches and kicks to the body, face and head of their opponents.”
Well, I would certainly hope he saw punches and kicks to the body, face and head, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been an MMA fight and Din Thomas wouldn’t have been arrested.
It also brings to mind the recent episode of “Human Weapon” on the history channel, where Jason Chambers and Bill Duff both fought MMA fights at John McCarthy’s school, and McCarthy acted as referee and judge. I suppose the primary difference is that Din Thomas was charging admission to the event and admittedly didn’t have any medical personell present.
I think the fact he was charging $10 admission at the door is what is going to cause him the trouble, otherwise, there is nothing unusual about fighting at a fight school. It happens all the time.
Written by admin on October 30th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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