Sad news came before last nights UFC on Versus 5 event in the form of a tweet.
Mike Straka tweeted this just before the event.
Guys, it is with great sadness that I report the passing of our great friend & trainer Shawn Tompkins. Details developing. Autopsy pending.
Straka wrote a very touching eulogy on the TapouT website today… here is an excerpt.
Shawn “The Coach” Tompkins 1974-2011By Mike Straka
When people ask me what I love most about being in the MMA business, I always talk about the dedication and heart among the athletes and how much passion they have for their sport and chosen profession.
No matter if you are a UFC champion or a journeyman bouncing from promotion to promotion, you know how hard you work, and while you don’t need it, you have my respect.
After the passing of my dear friend “The Coach,” Shawn Tompkins (37) on Sunday, August 14th 2011, something else struck me about the industry I work in.
We are family.
i look whack in the photo…
it was an honor to meet the Coach. Great guy to all the fans waiting to take a pic with him. you can tell that his class rubbed off on all his guys when you meet them.
I posted that picture to show how real he was. The fact that one of our guys has a photo with him was just so cool.