James Thompson (fighter)
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| JamesThompson | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname | The Colossus, Megapunk |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 124 kg (273 lb) |
| Born | December 16, 1978 |
| Fighting out of | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom |
| Town of birth | |
| Fighting style | wrestling, ju-jitsu, muay-thai |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 13 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 4 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
James "The Colossus" Thompson (born December 16, 1978) is a British mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights as a heavyweight for PRIDE in Japan and Cage Rage in the UK. He is characterized by his size, strength, affable way of speaking and humility. In interviews he has described his occupations before fighting in MMA as "debt collector" and "Gypsy remover",[1] though he has not elaborated on the latter.
Thompson is known for his tendency to stare down his opponents, similar to that of Wanderlei Silva. He starts quickly, crashing into opponents as soon as the match starts. He calls this strategy the "gong 'n dash", which he has used to overwhelm and finish off various opponents. James Thompson has also never lost or won by decision. His punk image and rowdy brawling style earned him the nickname "Megapunk" and his fan base often refers to themselves as the James Thompson War Wagon.
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[edit] MMA career
Thompson began his career in minor shows in the UK. After defeating Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Dan Severn in Ultimate Combat 11, he came to PRIDE to face Aleksander Emelianenko. Thompson literally shook with rage and anticipation, and despite losing the fight in only 11 seconds, he remained with PRIDE, earning quick and violent victories over Henry Miller and Giant Silva. Thompson also continues to fight in the UK in organizations such as Cage Rage.
In the PRIDE Shockwave 2006 event on 31st December 2006, Thompson caused an upset when he defeated Olympic judo gold medalist and renowned heavyweight fighter Hidehiko Yoshida. This fight boosted Thompson's fan base significantly, though he soon fell back to earth in his next fight, where he was stopped by Eric "Butterbean" Esch at Cage Rage 21. The loss to Eric Esch was controversial due to a premature stoppage by referee Grant. Though it appeared that Butterbean landed a hook on Thompson, this was not the case. James slipped and fell and while he was repositioning to go for a double leg takedown, the referee jumped in to stop the fight, in spite of the protests of a clear and conscious Thompson. This was noted by the commentators at the time (screened on Sky Sports 3).
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Bas Rutten as a commentator states that Thompson is a debt collector during Thompson's match against Aleksander Emelianenko
[edit] External links
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