Oli Thompson
| Oli Thompson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Oliver John Thompson 2 January 1980 East Sussex, England |
| Other names | The Spartan |
| Residence | England |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Division |
Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Fighting out of | East Sussex, England |
| Team | Wolfslair MMA Academy |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 27 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 3 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 10 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Occupation |
Strongman mixed martial artist |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
| Competition record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Strongman | ||
Representing  United Kingdom
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| World's Strongest Man | ||
| Qualified | 2008 World's Strongest Man | |
| IFSA Strongman World Championships | ||
| 8th | 2006 | |
| Europe's Strongest Man | ||
| Qualified | 2004 Europe's Strongest Man | |
Representing  England
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| Britain's Strongest Man | ||
| 3rd | Britain's Strongest Man 2004 | |
| 1st | Britain's Strongest Man 2006 | |
| IFSA British Championships | ||
| 2nd | IFSA British Championships 2005 | |
| IFSA England's Strongest Man | ||
| 3rd | IFSA England's Strongest Man 2005 | |
Oliver Thompson (born 2 January 1980) is an English strongman, mixed martial artist and former holder of the title Britain's Strongest Man. Thompson currently competes in the Heavyweight division, is a former UCMMA Heavyweight Champion, and has also previously competed for the UFC, KSW, and BAMMA.
Thompson is from East Sussex. He played rugby union at English county level and decided to try weight training. Thus, when he was 19 he joined Physiques gym in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex and within a matter of weeks he had broken the gym record for dead-lifting with a 260 kg lift. This prompted him to start to focus more on a strict routine of weight and strength in order to become a strength athlete.
Thompson's first competition was the 2001 UK's Strongest Man Qualifier. Although he did not qualify, he gained experience and remained focused on only competing in professional level events. In 2002 he won Kent's Strongest Man, taking first place in 5 out of 6 events. He went on to qualify in 2003 for Britain's Strongest Man ("BSM"), and in 2004 surpassed all expectations when he came third. This earned him the right to compete alongside the top strength athletes in the world at the Moscow Super Series 2004 (known as the 2004 Russia Grand Prix, although in 2004 this was not part of the WSM Super Series and again later in the year at Europe's Strongest Man in Poland).
In 2005 he opted to compete in the IFSA British Championships which was set up in direct rivalry with the BSM after IFSA parted company with the BSM and World's Strongest Man competition organiser TWI. He finished second in that competition to Mark Felix. Like many British strongmen he returned to the TWI British circuit in 2006 and won Britain's Strongest Man that year. He also competed in the 2006 IFSA World Championship where he made the final and came eighth. Disaster struck in February 2007, whilst he was training for the Mohegan Sun Super Series. He was deadlifting and he tore his biceps. Reportedly, he said that it did not hurt. He went on to say "No, there are no nerves in there, it didn’t hurt. I just heard it snap and I was just aware of it. You can feel it come up, but there’s no pain." Although the biceps was repaired Thompson has reported that it feels different and that "it’s just not quite as smooth." Although he has said that he does not think it will ever be the same, he has also said that: "When I get to a competition, I won’t be holding back because of my arm. I’ve already won Britain’s Strongest Man - you don’t want to go down - you’ve got to try and win Britain’s Strongest Man again or it’s pointless. So I’ve got to win it really. That’ll be how I judge where I go from there - if I win it or not. Second place isn’t something I’ll be chuffed with." Thompson trained intensively with training partner Scott Reid, the 2007 Britain’s Strongest Man in the 105 kg weight class. He went on to qualify for the finals of Britain's Strongest Man in 2008 and won his heat in the process. However, the injury was too proximate for him to fully challenge for the title in a field that was widely reported to have been one of the strongest ever.
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