Din Yero Thomas (born September 28, 1976) is an American former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who was featured on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback''. In the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, Thomas is a UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist. He holds a Black belt in

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

under

Ricardo Liborio Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

and currently runs two successful

and

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

academies in

Port St. Lucie, Florida Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...

. Thomas holds notable victories of (

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

)

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on ''The Ultimate ...

, (

UFC Welterweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

)

Matt Serra Matthew John Serra (born June 2, 1974) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the co-star of Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and co- ...

, and ( Strikeforce Lightweight Champion)

Clay Guida Clayton Charles Guida (; born December 8, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to the UFC competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Guida also formerly competed for Strikeforc ...

. Thomas has acted in local independent films, portraying The Fight Kid in Chris Fuller's ''

Loren Cass ''Loren Cass'' is a feature-length motion picture about adolescents coming to terms with their lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, after the riots that took place in 1996. It was directed by independent film-maker Chris Fuller and took ten years to ...

'' and Reverend Pierce in ''Natalie, Queen of Scots''. He appeared alongside Dana White and former opponent Matt Serra on Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight, and currently is a cast member of the UFC Live Weigh-in Show.

Background

Thomas was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, where he lived until he was 12 years old. When he was 12 Thomas moved to

, and attended Port St. Lucie High School. Thomas flirted with baseball and football growing up, but ultimately did not have a serious interest in team sports because he did not like negatively affecting his teammates. A few weeks before his 18th birthday, Thomas' life changed drastically. He had recently broken up with his girlfriend, and in a fit of rage beat up her new boyfriend at her house. The young Thomas was charged with battery and had to spend his weekends in prison for the next year. Soon, he turned his attention to jiu-jitsu and began training in a small academy near his home.

Mixed martial arts career

Before entering the UFC, Thomas held a 12–1 MMA record including wins over future

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

champion

and

Dokonjonosuke Mishima known as , also written Dokonjyonosuke Mishima, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He has competed professionally since 1998 in organizations such as Shooto, DEEP, PRIDE, the UFC and in his pro wrestling days he has c ...

, with his only loss coming to future

title challenger

Caol Uno (born May 8, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is the Co-Champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. As one of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship's el ...

. Thomas made his UFC debut at

UFC 32 ''UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 29, 2001. History The card was headlined by the first Li ...

, in a fight against future UFC Lightweight and

Welterweight champion Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

B.J. Penn Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was the first American Go ...

, where he lost by TKO (strikes) in the first round. Thomas returned at

UFC 33 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, defeating

Fabiano Iha Fabiano Iha (; born July 28, 1970) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight division, fighting in several organizations, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE. He won his last fight by KO at LI ...

by unanimous decision. At

UFC 39 ''UFC 39: The Warriors Return'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States ...

, Thomas faced Japanese superstar

in a rematch. The fight was part of a tournament to determine the new UFC Lightweight Champion. After three rounds, Thomas lost by unanimous decision. His next fight was a split decision victory over future UFC

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

champion

UFC 41 ''UFC 41: Onslaught'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 28, 2003, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and late ...

. This fight would prove somewhat controversial, due to one of the judges mistakenly placing the score he assigned to Thomas in the column reserved for Serra. This caused Serra to be declared the winner by decision, but the mistake was discovered and Thomas and his team were notified of the change, giving Thomas the split decision victory. This would be Thomas' last UFC fight for 3 years. Thomas was a contestant on

The Ultimate Fighter 4 ''The Ultimate Fighter 4'' is the fourth season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on August 17, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of ''UFC Fight Night 6''. The finale was aired on Nove ...

where he defeated

Mikey Burnett Michael Wayne Burnett (born April 12, 1974) is a former American mixed martial artist who was a member of the fight team the Lion's Den. Burnett lost a controversial decision to Pat Miletich in a UFC title fight for the UFC Welterweight Champio ...

in the first round, before losing to training partner

Chris Lytle Chris Scott Lytle (born August 18, 1974) is a retired American mixed martial artist and boxer. An MMA professional from 1999 until 2011 and 20-fight veteran of the UFC, Lytle also fought in Pancrase, Cage Rage, and the WEC. He held the inaug ...

by decision in the semi-finals. Thomas returned at the finale on November 11, 2006, to face

Rich Clementi Richard Thomas Clementi (born March 31, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist. Clementi has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championships, Bellator, K-1 Hero's DREAM, King of the Cage, and Titan FC. Background Clementi was born in Ed ...

, winning via

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

in the second round. Thomas was then defeated via

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

(rear naked choke) by future UFC lightweight title challenger

Kenny Florian Kenneth Alan Florian (born May 26, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist and commentator who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He formerly served as an analyst for UFC on Fox from 2011–2018, and he also ...

after injuring his knee in a takedown attempt while headlining the main event at

UFC Fight Night 11 ''UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 11'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

. Doctors said in his takedown attempt that Thomas tore his meniscus and stretched his PCL. His most recent UFC fight was a unanimous decision loss to

Josh Neer Joshua Martin Neer (born March 24, 1983) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2003, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL, and Shark Fights. Ne ...

UFC Fight Night 13 ''UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 13'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 2, 2008, at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado, Unite ...

. He was released from his UFC contract after this fight. After his loss to Neer, Thomas decided to drop a weight class to

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

(145 lbs). He debuted at featherweight against Dustin Pieken securing a triangle choke in the first round. He has followed that up with TKO wins over Gabe Lemley and

Dustin Pague Dustin William Pague (born August 5, 1987) is a former American mixed martial artist who most recently fought in the Bantamweight division of the UFC. He was a competitor on Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller, and h ...

. Thomas had signed with Shine Fights and was expected to make his debut against

Ricardo Mayorga Ricardo Antonio Mayorga Perez (born October 3, 1973) is a Nicaraguan boxing, professional boxer and former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. In boxing he is a former two-weight world champion, having held the unified WBA (Unified), World ...

on May 15 in Fayetteville, North Carolina but it was canceled after Don King was granted an injunction preventing Mayorga from fighting. Thomas was scheduled to return after a nearly two-year-long layoff October 7, 2011, at Fight Time 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a promotion headed up by his American Top Team boxing trainer, Howard Davis Jr. But Thomas was in a car accident prior to the event and had to be hospitalized for his injuries. His fight against George Sheppard was scheduled to be the main event of Fight Time 7: The Return of Din Thomas. On January 2, 2014, Thomas announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Coaching career

Besides his own professional mixed martial artist career, Thomas has been coaching since the early days of MMA. He started coaching at Mike Metzger's Internal Power Karate School in 1999. Thomas owned multiple MMA and jiu-jitsu schools until he was recruited to become one of the primary coaches at

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no fo ...

in 2015. Before becoming a full-time coach at ATT, he had been partially affiliated with the team and its athletes since 2001. In March 2020, Thomas announced that he had departed from ATT in order to pursue his own MMA camp.

Personal life

Thomas is married and has a son named Ethon. He also appeared in the 2007 Gotham Award-nominated independent feature film ''

'' which had its United States premiere at Dennis Hopper's CineVegas Film Festival and its international premiere in the prestigious Filmmakers of the Present competition at the Locarno International Film Festival in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The film was released in theaters and on DVD in 2009 by Kino International. Thomas was arrested on October 30, 2007, on a charge of "felony prohibited competitions" in Port St. Lucie,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

at his training gym. As of November 30, 2007, the Assistant State Attorney's office decided not to file formal charges against Thomas and filed paperwork dismissing the charge on which he was arrested. The Assistant D.A. stated if the fighter or participants were students of Thomas' school, and the purpose of the school is to teach martial arts, then they meet the exception to the law.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist ** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs.

Jeremy Stephens Jeremy Stephens (born May 26, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional since 2005, he spent 15 years and competed in 33 bouts in the UFC ...

*World Extreme Fighting **World Extreme Fighting Lightweight Championship (Three times) *Reality Super Fighting **Reality Super Fighting Lightweight Championship (Two times) *International Sport Combat Federation **ISCF World Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 26–9 (1) ,

Georgi Karakhanyan Georgi Karakhanyan is a Russian-born Armenian-American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, Karakhanyan has also formerly competed for the ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Legacy Fighting Championship 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 26–8 (1) , Cody Bollinger , No Contest , Pure MMA: Next Episode , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 ,

Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , WEF: Brasco vs. Whitesel , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–8 , Gabe Lemley , TKO (knee) , SRP: March Badness , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 ,

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–8 , Dustin Pieken , Submission (triangle choke) , HHP 1: The Patriot Act , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–7 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

UFC 71 ''UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on Saturday, May 26, 2007, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event was the rem ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:44 ,

, United States , Submission of the Night , - , Win , align=center, 22–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC Fight Night 8 ''UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Salmon'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 8'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 25, 2007 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It was b ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

, United States , Fight of the Night , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter 4'' is the fourth season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on August 17, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' UFC Fight Night 6''. The finale was aired on Nov ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:11 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–6 , Luciano Azevedo , Decision (unanimous) , WCFC: No Guts No Glory , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 , Dwayne Shelton , Submission (armbar) , BP: Pride & Glory , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–5 , Tyrone Glover , Decision (majority) , Deep: 20th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4 , John Strawn , Submission (armbar) , Absolute Fighting Championships 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Ray Totorico , Submission (ankle lock) , Battle of New Orleans 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4 ,

Amar Suloev Amar Suloev (January 7, 1976 – June 27, 2016) was a Russian mixed martial artist. Following his mixed martial arts career, Suloev became involved in the world of organized crime and was arrested and accused of being a contract killer. He died o ...

, TKO (punches and soccer kicks) , Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Steve Berger , Decision (unanimous) , Absolute Fighting Championships 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Rob Baer , TKO (punches) , RSF 6: Mayhem in Myers , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Jason Bender , TKO (punches) , RSF 5: New Blood Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 ,

, KO (knee and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Scott Johnson , Submission (armbar) , RSF 1: Redemption in the Valley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:11 ,

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Stephen Palling , Submission (triangle choke) , SuperBrawl 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , WEF: New Blood Conflict , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:33 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Don Banville , TKO (corner stoppage) , World Extreme Fighting 9: World Class , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Shooto – R.E.A.D. 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Tim Douglas , Submission (armbar) , Reality Combat Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Ken Allen , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , World Extreme Fighting 7: Stomp in the Swamp , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:16 ,

Kenner, Louisiana Kenner (historically french: Cannes-Brûlées) is a city in Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in Jefferson Parish, and is the largest incorporated suburban city of New Orleans. The population was 66,448 at the 2020 census. History ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto: Renaxis 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:16 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Scott Bills , Submission (triangle choke) , World Extreme Fighting 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Scott Bills , TKO (retirement) , World Extreme Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ed Lutz , Submission (rear-naked choke) , World Extreme Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:20 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rodney Brown , Submission (keylock) , Ybor Vale Tudo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tomas Velazquez , Submission (armbar) , WVF: Jacksonville Vale Tudo 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, United States ,

Notes and references

External links

Official Site
* *
November 2006 Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Din Living people People from Wilmington, Delaware American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Delaware American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1976 births Sportspeople from Wilmington, Delaware Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu African-American mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople