Nicholas Delton Thompson (born June 23, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2003 until 2011, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Strikeforce, Bellator Fighting Championships, and Bodog Fight. He is the former Bodog Fight Welterweight Champion.
Background
While attending college, Nick wrestled at the University of Wisconsin from 2000–2002. He then began training with coach Dave Strasser at Dave Strasser’s Freestyle Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While there, he trained with manager Pat O'Malley, Ron Faircloth, Nick Agallar, and Brian Geraghty.[1]
In 2005, Nick moved to attend the University of Minnesota Law School. He began training under coach Greg Nelson at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Nelson is closely affiliated with Erik Paulson, founder of Combat Submission Wrestling.[2]
While there, Nick trained with fighters Sean Sherk, Brock Lesnar, Brock Larson, Nik Lentz, Derrick Noble, Paul Bradley, and Kaitlin Young.[3][4] Thereafter, he was awarded a black belt in jiujitsu by James Peterson.
Mixed martial arts career
UFC
He made his UFC debut at UFC 56 where he defeated Keith Wisniewski. He returned to the UFC on April 15, 2006, where he lost against the highly ranked and seasoned judoka Karo Parisyan at UFC 59.
Following his fights in the UFC, and after three warm-up fights with smaller organizations, Thompson signed with Bodog Fight, a former MMA organisation. After cutting through three Bodog opponents, Thompson was offered his title fight with Eddie Alvarez, a previously undefeated fighter. After winning his fight against Alvarez on April 14, 2007, Thompson has since defended his title twice.[5]
World Victory Road
Nick's final title defense against John Troyer was the last fight on his contract with Bodog.[6]
Rumors of his intent to sign with World Victory Road were confirmed with his addition to the organization's March 3, 2008 inaugural Sengoku show. Nick was scheduled to face Fabricio Monteiro in his debut.[7] He won this debut against Monteiro via three-round unanimous decision.[5]
EliteXC
Nick fought Jake Shields on July 26, 2008 for the newly created EliteXC Welterweight title, losing via submission in the first round.
Strikeforce
On February 25, 2009 in a radio interview, Thompson confirmed that he has signed on with California-based Mixed Martial Arts promotion Strikeforce. Thomson stated in his interview that he could be fighting as early as April 11, 2009.[8]
Shine Fights
Nick signed a multi-fight deal with upstart, Ohio and Florida based promotion, Shine Fights. Before even making his debut, he was requested to a new deal.[9]
Ultimate Glory
Nick was supposed to fight Siyar Bahadurzada at Ultimate Glory 12 on Oct. 16th, 2010 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, but had to pull out at the last minute due to an injury. He was replaced by Derrick Noble.
Personal life
Nick lives in Lake Elmo, Wisconsin, with his wife, Corey, and two stepchildren, Scarlett and Sage. He also has three biological children who live in Appleton Wisconsin named Claire, Joseph, and the best for last Grace Thompson. He is a founding partner of Casey Jones Law, which represents railroad employees who have been injured or discriminated against.[10]
