Last night, during UFC on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle, the MMA world was shocked to hear the news that renowned trainer Shawn Tompkins had passed away in Canada. He was 37.

Tompkins was an MMA veteran himself, but gained his first national recognition in the IFL as Los Angeles Anacondas’ assistant coach under Bas Rutten. He was promoted to the head coach role after Rutten moved into the commentary booth.

Known for his striking prowess, Tompkins’ contributions can be seen in such fighters as his Vitor Belfort, Randy Couture, brother-in-law Sam Stout, Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki and Ronnie Mann. He worked out of some of the top facilities in the world including the TapouT Training Facility and Xtreme Couture.

Last 5 posts by Shawn M. Smith

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Tags: Bas Rutten, Chris Horodecki, IFL, Los Angeles Anacondas, Mark Hominick, Randy Couture, Ronnie Mann, Sam Stout, Shawn Tompkins, Tapout, Vitor Belfort, Xtreme Couture