Shawn Tompkins Making a Return to MMA Competition?

Shawn Tompkins after running a practice. Photo property of Xtreme Couture.

In a recent interview with The Fight Network, MMA trainer extraordinaire, Shawn Tompkins, hinted that he’d be making a return to active MMA competition at some point during the coming year.

“The end of the year turned out to be such a busy time for me; I didn’t have time to fight,” he said. “I’m still training and still keeping myself in top shape, and we’re really going to see where things stand by about March. If all goes well, I’m hoping June will have something for me. It will be in Vegas at a show out here, and they’re looking at a couple guys from the Midwest area.”

Surprisingly Tompkins possesses a mixed martial arts record of 0-4. With that being said, Tompkins last fought seven years ago and at the time he was predominantly a striker with little to no ground skills. All of Tompkins bouts came in Montreal with the Universal Combat Challenge which is now known as TKO Championship Fighting. He was stopped by UFC veterans David Losieau and Steve Vigneault as well as Joel Leblanc and Matt Rocca.

Though it’s been seven years since he last fought, Tompkins has solidified himself as one of the top instructors in the sport. Honing his craft at his gym, Team Tompkins, in London, Ontario, Tompkins guided Sam Stout, Krzysztof Soszynski and Mark Hominick to TKO Championship Fighting gold while providing an excellent base for fighters like Chris Horodecki, Chris Clements, and Rob MacDonald.

Things really began to change for Tompkins in 2006 when he made the trek to Temecula, California to help Dan Henderson prepare for bouts with Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. After his stint at Team Quest, Henderson accepted an offer to become the head instructor at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only was this a significant notch on Tompkins’ resume but it also presented the opportunity for guys like Sam Stout, Mark Hominick, and Chris Horodecki to train with a wide array of world class fighters.

Since joining Xtreme Couture, Tompkins has worked extensively with Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Forrest Griffin, Mike Pyle, Tyson Griffin, Jay Heiron, Joe Stevenson, and Phil Baroni. While training the various fighters, Tompkins has spent a great deal of time working on both his wrestling and grappling. When it comes time to step in the cage again, expect a different Shawn Tompkins, one who is dangerous both standing and on the canvas.