Tom DeBlass (born May 14, 1982) is an American

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 ...

practitioner,

submission grappler Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...

and

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 ...

currently signed to

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

. He has competed in the

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division for Bellator and 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 ...

Background

DeBlass was a county champion long jumper at

Central Regional High School Central Regional High School is a four-year regional comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, opera ...

, from which he graduated in 2000. He went on to graduate

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full- ...

in 2004 with a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. DeBlass was known primarily as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor winning such titles as Pan American and World Championships. He then fought professionally in Ring Of Combat. In only a year and a half, DeBlass captured two titles and got called up to fight in the UFC. In 2006 DeBlass opened his own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy "Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu". He has been an instructor to notable BJJ practitioners such as

Garry Tonon Garry Lee Tonon (born September 12, 1991) is an American submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He is a five-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion, and has won titles at ADCC submission wrestling championship, IBJJF ...

. He is one of the only people in history to win the North American trials 3 times. In November 2017, Tom was elected as a Lacey Township board of education member.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After winning seven straight fights DeBlass was signed by the UFC and made his debut against

Cyrille Diabate Cyrille is both a French masculine given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name * Cyrille Adoula (1921–1978), Congolese politician who served as Premier of the Republic of the Congo (1961– ...

on one week's notice at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva and lost by Majority Decision. In his second UFC fight DeBlass dropped down to the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division to fight against

Riki Fukuda , is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, he has formerly competed for the UFC, EliteXC, DEEP, DREAM, K-1 (MMA), Shooto, and Pancrase. Mixed martial arts career ...

at UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le He lost by Unanimous Decision. DeBlass announced his retirement from MMA after the bout with Fukuda stating, "After a lot of talk with my family and coaches, I have decided to retire from fighting and focus on my family, my academy and helping my students to achieve their goals. At this time, I feel it's best for me to give my time to others and spend more time with my family. The drive to keep fighting is not there any longer. I have an amazing academy and feel my students need my full attention."

Bellator MMA

DeBlass returned from his short-lived retirement and made his Bellator debut against Carlos Brooks at

Bellator 95 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

and won by TKO at the end of the second round after the doctor decided that Brooks could not continue. DeBlass was scheduled to face former

IFL IFL may refer to: ;American football *Intense Football League, (2004–2008) in the United States, merged into the Indoor Football League *Indoor Football League, (2008–present) in the United States *Intercontinental Football League, a European l ...

Light Heavyweight Champion

Vladimir Matyushenko Vladimir Vladimirovich Matyushenko ( be, Уладзімір Уладзіміравіч Мацюшэнка, ''Uladzimir Uladzimiravič Maciušenka''; born 4 January 1971) is a Belarusian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 u ...

Bellator 108 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

on November 15, 2013. However Matyushenko was forced out of the bout due to a broken hand. DeBlass instead fought fellow

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 ...

veteran

Jason Lambert Jason L. Lambert (born September 23, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001 until 2013, he competed for the UFC, WEC, Bellator, King of the Cage, and AFC. He is the former WEC light heavyweight champion. M ...

at the event. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Tom DeBlass was scheduled to fight

Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wr ...

on September 5, 2014, at

Bellator 123 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

; however, Tom DeBlass suffered a knee injury and was forced off the card. The bout with Lawal was rescheduled for

Bellator 131 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

on November 15, 2014. However, on November 1, it was announced that DeBlass had suffered a cut during training and had to withdraw from the bout.

ONE Championship

On May 17, 2020, DeBlass came out of retirement and signed with

Personal life

Tom DeBlass runs his own BJJ and MMA gym and has coached numerous students to a high level, including fellow MMA fighter and ADCC veteran Garry Tonon. DeBlass lives in the Forked River section of

Lacey Township, New Jersey Lacey Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey and is considered part of the Jersey Shore and South Jersey regions. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 27,644, reflecting an increase of 2,298 (+9.1%) fro ...

. In November 2021, DeBlass released his biography and it quickly became a best-seller in the martial arts biography category on Amazon. In it, he revealed that he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and explained how he was able to overcome that in order to succeed as a BJJ and MMA competitor. DeBlass has also been open about his usage of Testosteron replacement therapy, and is a strong advocate for it.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Ring of Combat **ROC Heavyweight Championship (one time) **ROC Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)

Submission grappling

* First person in NJ to win an Adult Black Belt Pan American title * Second person in NJ history to win ADCC North American Trials * 2007 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu National Champion * 2007 World Championships Mundials 3rd place Brown Belt * 2007 No Gi World Champion Brown Belt * 2008 Pan American Champion Brown Belt * 2009 Abu Dhabi North American Trial Champion * 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Veteran * 2009 Bronze Medalist No Gi World Champion Black Belt * 2013 Grapplers Quest National Champ * 2013 No Gi Pan American Black Belt Ultra Heavy Champion * 2013 No Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship Bronze medal Super Heavy Black Belt Adult * 2013 Grapplers Quest Worlds Expert Division Ultra heavy Champion * 2014 Professional Grappling League Super Fight Champion (defeated 370 lb Mark Tarmann) * 2014 ADCC NY super fight Champion (defeats Babalu Sobral) * 2014 ADCC North American Champion 99 kg * 2015 Defended The Good Fight Submission only Heavyweight Championship: 206+ lbs Defeated Rodrigo Correia (Submission 60:56) * 2015 Conquest Submission series drew Joao Asiss * 2015 Inducted into NJ Martial Arts hall of fame * 2015 No Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship Black Belt Ultra Heavy Masters 1 Bronze medal * 2015 No Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship Black Belt Open Class Masters 1 Champion * 2016 ADCC US Nationals pro absolute champion * 2016 ADCC North American Trials +99 kg Champion * 2017 Fight to Win 30 Main Event Winner over

Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American semi-retired mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, EliteXC, I ...

* 2018 Fight to Win Pro 27 Main Event Winner over Lou Armezzani * 2019 KASAI Pro Superfight Winner * Tool Bag Award

Mixed martial arts record

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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.

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SAR SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

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Sean Salmon Sean Michael Salmon (born September 11, 1977, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States) is a retired American mixed martial artist and a former columnist for MMA news site MMAjunkie.com. Salmon has competed for the UFC, Strikeforce and King of t ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:DeBlass, Tom 1982 births Living people Central Regional High School alumni Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Monmouth University alumni People from Berkeley Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Lacey Township, New Jersey Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters