Tom Erikson
| Tom Erikson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 6, 1964 Chicago Heights, Illinois, United States |
| Other names | The Big Cat |
| Nationality |
 American
|
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 127.1 kg (280 lb; 20.01 st) |
| Division | Super Heavyweight |
| Style | Wrestling |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Team | RAW Team Go-Riki |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division I Wrestler |
| Years active | 1996-2008 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 5 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 14 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Occupation | Wrestling coach |
| University |
Triton College Oklahoma State University–Stillwater |
| Notable students |
Jon Fitch Sean McCorkle |
Tom Erikson (born July 6, 1964) is an American former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist who competed in the super heavyweight division. Weighing between 127.1 kg (280 lb; 20.01 st) and 139.8 kg (308 lb; 22.01 st) throughout his career, "The Big Cat" began wrestling at an early age and was twice National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Junior Collegiate Champion at Triton College before achieving National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I honors twice at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater. He embarked on his career in MMA in 1996 and went on to fight in the Pride Fighting Championships, being a founding member of the prestigious RAW team.
Erikson was a long time assistant wrestling coach at Purdue University, where he has been coaching since 1997. In 2015 Tom accepted the head wrestling coach position at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.
Erikson is a graduate of Bloom High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Wrestling for Triton College, he was a twice NJCAA Collegiate Champion in 1984 and 1985. He was also twice NCAA Division I Collegiate wrestling All-American, in 1986 and 1987, while competing for Oklahoma State University.
Erikson made the switch to the emerging sport of mixed martial arts almost ten years later, as part of his friend Rico Chiapparelli's Real American Wrestling team, which was composed of successful wrestlers like him. Tom would debut before the existence of the team, being managed by Chiapparelli personally on November 22, 1996 at the Martial Arts Reality Superfighting eight-man openweight tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. In the quarter finals, Erikson defeated sambo fighter Aleksander Khramstovskly via KO by elbows and punches, and then submitted Willie Peeters with a neck crank just thirty-one seconds into the semis; he went to meet Murilo Bustamante in the final, in what would be considered a classic match.
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