Thomas Speer (born August 20, 1984) is a retired American

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 ...

. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2013, he received national exposure on '' The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra'', fighting as a member of Team Hughes and his subsequent stint in the UFC. Speer also competed in the WEC and

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

Background

Born and raised on a crop and dairy farm in

Elgin, Minnesota Elgin is a city in Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States on Minnesota State Highway 42. The population was 1,089 at the 2010 census. Its annual festival is ''Elgin Cheese Days''. History Elgin was laid out in 1878 when the railroad was extend ...

, Speer was a star athlete at Elgin Millville High School, where he was an All-State cornerback in football, received four varsity letters in basketball, and reached the state tournament in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

during his senior year. After graduating in 2003, Speer continued to develop his wrestling skills and also began competing in mixed martial arts in the local circuit. On May 29, 2015 Speer married Katie Kirckof.

Mixed martial arts career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

While on ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', Speer defeated

Jon Koppenhaver War Machine (born Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, November 30, 1981) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, former pornographic actor, and incarcerated felon. He currently is serving a life sentence for multiple counts of rape, ki ...

and Ben Saunders, both by unanimous decision. In his semifinal bout, he defeated

George Sotiropoulos George Sotiropoulos (born 9 July 1977) is an Australian born retired mixed martial artist of Greek descent who previously fought in the UFC in their Lightweight division. He is well known for appearing as a fighter on the TV show '' The Ultimat ...

by KO in the first round, advancing him into the finals on December 8, 2007, to face fellow Team Hughes member

Mac Danzig Mac Danzig (born January 2, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist, who competed as a lightweight in several MMA promotions, most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season six. Background Da ...

. Speer fought Danzig at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale, and lost 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 ...

at 2:01 of the first round. On April 2, 2008 at

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, United ...

, Speer lost to Anthony Johnson by KO in the first round. Speer was then released by the UFC after this loss.

Independent Promotions

Speer announced his retirement from professional fighting after suffering a loss to Beau Baker in the Cagefest Xtreme 6 show in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. Speer was a late replacement for an injured

Shonie Carter Mearion Shonie Bickhem III (born May 3, 1972), better known as Shonie Carter, is an American mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on ''The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has also ...

. Speer has since returned to fighting professionally, defeating Jay Ellis by TKO in the first round at the Extreme Challenge 127 on May 30, 2009. Speer fought Ryan Ford at TFC 10. He lost the fight in the first round via

submission. Speer faced

Mats Nilsson Mats Nilsson (born December 5, 1983) is a Swedish grappler and retired mixed martial artist. Nilsson formerly competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the three time FILA Grappling world champ ...

on February 11, 2012 at Cage Warriors Fight Night 3, in which he lost via arm triangle submission. On April 5, 2013, Speer defeated

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

Vet

Lumumba Sayers Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June ...

at MFW: 2 via

submission in round one.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 21–7 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFW: Made For War 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Castle Rock, Colorado Castle Rock is a home rule town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 73,158 at the 2020 United States Census, a 51.68% increase since the 2010 United Sta ...

, United States ,

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 ...

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 20–7 ,

Jeremy Kimball Jeremy Kimball, (born March 1, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts fighter who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, Kimball has also formerly competed ...

, TKO (punches) , MFW: Made For War 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 ,

, United States ,

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 ,

Kevin Burns Kevin Burns (June 18, 1955September 27, 2020), was an American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter. His work can be seen on A&E, National Geographic Channel, E!, Animal Planet, AMC, Bravo, WE tv, Travel Channel, Lifetim ...

, Decision (split) , Brutaal: Fight Night , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tama, Iowa Tama is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,130 at the time of the 2020 census. Tama is situated two miles south of Toledo, the county seat. The two towns are close enough to have nearly grown together over the year ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–6 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, Lebanon , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Indalecio Tat Romero , Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge 188: Larson vs. Davila , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Ryan Williams , Submission (triangle choke) , Extreme Challenge 170 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Ashkan Morvari , Decision (unanimous) , RG: Rochester Gladiators , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 , Jeremy Lafferty , TKO (submission to punches) , RG: Rochester Gladiators , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 , Ryan Ford , Submission (rear-naked choke) , TFC 10: High Voltage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Travis Perzynski , Decision (unanimous) , FN: Fight Nation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Jay Ellis , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 128 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 , Beau Baker , Decision (unanimous) , Cagefest Xtreme Evolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Geno Roderick , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CCCW: Capital City Cage Wars , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Joe Julianelle , TKO (punches) , 10–4: Thunder , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Anthony Johnson , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

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, 11–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

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, 11–1 , Sidney Silva , KO (punch) , WEC 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Robert Farley , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 76 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

Sloan, Iowa Sloan is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA– NE– SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,042 at the time of the 2020 census. History Sloan was platted in 1870 by the presi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Andy Normington , TKO (submission to punches) , Ultimate Combat Sports 19: Battle at the Barn , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Dan Washburn , TKO (submission to punches) , Ultimate Combat Sports 18: Battle at the Barn , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Sean Huffman , TKO (corner stoppage) , Extreme Challenge 72 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , John Meyer , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 70 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

Hayward, Wisconsin Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. The population was 2,318 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sawyer County. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward. History Early h ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jim Abrille , TKO (corner stoppage) , Full Throttle 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rob Marcks , TKO (corner stoppage) , Coliseum: Coliseum 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Gerald Pearson , TKO (slam) , ICE 18: International Combat Events 18 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Fairfield, Ohio Fairfield is a suburban city located in both Butler and Hamilton counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Fairfield is located approximately 25 miles north of Cincinnati and is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami River. The population was ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adam Hill , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Combat Sports 10: Battle at the Barn , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mike van Meer , Decision (unanimous) , Ultimate Combat Sports: Throwdown at the T-Bar , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ellsworth, Minnesota Ellsworth is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 463 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The local school district is the Ellsworth Public School. Geography According to the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jose Frausto , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Ultimate Combat Sports 9: Battle at the Barn , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States ,

References

External links

*
Tommy Speer's The Ultimate Fighter bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Speer, Tommy 1984 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Minnesota People from Wabasha County, Minnesota Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters