Din Thomas facts for kids

Din Yero Thomas (born September 28, 1976) is a former American mixed martial artist. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Thomas was a tournament semifinalist. He is also a current analyst for the UFC.

Din Thomas holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He earned this under Ricardo Liborio. Today, he runs two successful academies. These academies teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Thomas has defeated famous fighters. These include Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, and Clay Guida.

Thomas has also acted in independent films. He played roles in Loren Cass and Natalie, Queen of Scots. He appeared on "Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight." He is also a cast member of the UFC Live Weigh-in Show.

Early Life and Training

Din Thomas was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He lived there until he was 12 years old. At age 12, he moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida. He attended Port St. Lucie High School. Growing up, Thomas tried baseball and football. However, he wasn't very interested in team sports. He didn't like the idea of letting his teammates down.

Before his 18th birthday, Thomas faced a challenge. He had some trouble and learned important lessons. This experience led him to focus on jiu-jitsu. He began training at a small academy nearby.

Din Thomas's MMA Journey

Before joining the UFC, Thomas had a great record. He won 12 fights and lost only one. He defeated future UFC champions like Jens Pulver. His first UFC fight was at UFC 32. He faced B.J. Penn and lost in the first round. Thomas returned at UFC 33. He won his fight against Fabiano Iha.

Key UFC Fights

At UFC 39, Thomas fought Caol Uno again. This fight was part of a tournament. It was to decide the new UFC Lightweight Champion. Thomas lost this fight after three rounds. His next fight was a win against Matt Serra at UFC 41. This was a close fight. Thomas won by a split decision. After this, Thomas left the UFC for three years.

The Ultimate Fighter and Return

Thomas became a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 4. He won his first fight against Mikey Burnett. He then lost to his training partner Chris Lytle. This happened in the semi-finals. Thomas returned to fight at the finale. He faced Rich Clementi on November 11, 2006. Thomas won this fight by a rear naked choke.

Thomas later lost to Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 11. He injured his knee during the fight. His last UFC fight was a loss to Josh Neer. After this, he left his UFC contract.

Moving to Featherweight

After his UFC career, Thomas changed weight classes. He moved down to featherweight (145 lbs). He won his first featherweight fight. He used a triangle choke to win. He then had two more TKO wins. These were against Gabe Lemley and Dustin Pague.

Thomas was set to fight Ricardo Mayorga in 2010. However, the fight was canceled. He was also scheduled to return in 2011. But he was in a car accident and had to go to the hospital. On January 2, 2014, Din Thomas announced his retirement. He officially stopped fighting in mixed martial arts.

Coaching and Mentoring

Din Thomas has been a coach for a long time. He started coaching in 1999. He owned several MMA and jiu-jitsu schools. In 2015, he became a main coach. He joined American Top Team. He had worked with them since 2001. In March 2020, Thomas left American Top Team. He wanted to start his own MMA training camp.

Din Thomas's Life Outside the Ring

Din Thomas is married and has a son. His son's name is Ethon.

He also appeared in the film Loren Cass in 2007. This movie was shown at film festivals. It was released in theaters and on DVD in 2009.

In 2007, there was a misunderstanding. It was about his training gym in Port St. Lucie, Florida. However, the legal office decided not to file charges. They determined that if the people were students, it was allowed.

Achievements and Awards

Din Thomas achieved many things in his career.

Mixed Martial Arts Awards

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist
  • Fight of the Night (One time) against Clay Guida
  • Submission of the Night (One time) against Jeremy Stephens
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2007: Best Submission of the First Half of the Year against Jeremy Stephens
    • 2007: Ranked #6 Submission of the Year against Jeremy Stephens
• World Extreme Fighting
  • World Extreme Fighting Lightweight Champion (Three times)
• Reality Super Fighting
  • Reality Super Fighting Lightweight Champion (Two times)
• International Sport Combat Federation
  • ISCF World Lightweight Champion (One time)

Mixed Martial Arts Record Summary