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MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins on Vitor Belfort: “Vitor isn’t loyal to anybody”
By Zach Arnold | January 19, 2011
“I’m always motivated to improve and be a better fighter. I believe that people put a big focus on things like having the belt. I don’t believe that having the belt really determines the type of fighter and type of person that you are. I try to set an example for the young fighters that are coming up and leave a legacy of what I’ve been able to do in this sport.
“I’m not concerned about who my next opponent is. He’s a dangerous opponent just like the rest.
“It’s every athlete’s dream to end his career as a champion, just like it is mine. However, in this sport, it is very difficult. After the Chael (Sonnen) fight, people think I’m human again and that anything can happen. I could be knocked out. I could be submitted. For me, every time I go out there, it’s about more than just winning the fight. It’s about sending a positive message and leaving a message behind of what I was able to do in there.
I figured we’d start out with some comments from Anderson Silva. Now, onto what Shawn Tompkins said to Mauro Ranallo on The Fight Show (January 18th edition):
MAURO RANALLO: “What about Vitor Belfort? I know that you were helping him prepare for his fight against Anderson Silva. Now, he’s at Xtreme Couture, your former home base, talk of him recruiting Mike Tyson to help him prepare for Anderson Silva. What is your relationship with Belfort and why won’t you be in his corner?”
SHAWN TOMPKINS: “Well, you know, Vitor has done this before. Vitor sometimes, he gets a little clouded in his head. It’s not that he brought in Mike Tyson or anything like that. Vitor just wanders, you know, and he goes where, you know, what’s happening, what’s famous, what’s popular and he’ll go over there and Mike Tyson isn’t teaching him anything. Neither is the other eight gyms that he’s training at. Just because he’s over at Couture’s and not with me doesn’t mean he’s with Couture’s. Vitor isn’t loyal to anybody. We’ve seen it before.”
MAURO RANALLO: “I do sense some acrimony. Are you then not on good terms with Vitor right now?”
SHAWN TOMPKINS: “I hope for the best for him, but you know for a guy who told me about respect, loyalty, and God and all this stuff for so many years, he sure did prove the opposite. So, we’ll see. Best of luck to him. Best of luck to Anderson, as well.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
I wonder if Tompkins would like some cheese with that whine?
This isn’t the first time he has trashed a fighter who had the temerity to seek out a new trainer. The guy needs to grow a little thicker skin.
I was just about to say the same thing! Tompkins is a world class sulker and doesn’t mind airing it publicly either. He’s snivelled about a few fighters – Randy, Wanderlei, now Vitor and I’m sure a few others I can’t think of off the top of my head.
Agreed x3.
Shawn Tompkins was overrated for a good little while, and it finally seems that everyone is starting to realize he’s not world class.
Didn’t he famously break ties with his “home” gym at Couture’s?
Who says once you train somewhere or with someone that you have to stay for life?
[…] Belfort’s former trainer Shawn Tompkins talking to Mauro Ranallo (via Fight Opinion) about Belfort jumping around to different training […]
Only and idiot would be loyal to Shawn Thompkins, who has routinely given his fighters horrible advice that directly led to them losing (telling coleman to box couture and telling horodecki to take cerrone down come to mind, then there was the time he told stout he was winning when fisher was beating him senseles)
Scortch The Earth personality….
[…] to The Fight Show (via Fight Opinion) Tompkins […]
Sean Tompkins is way over rated. He truly gives poor advice, and is an ass to boot. I am not saying that Vitor shouldn’t have left, I”m saying that he shouldn’t have trained with Tompkins in the first place.
Yeah…
Breaking news!
Vitor is a beautifully violent but unreliable nitwit!!!
Next question?
BTW: Vitor has a minuscule chance.
And not even for a flash KO.
He’s not the one.
AS should be forced up to 205!
He fits 205 much faster than GSP to middleweight.
tompkins is over-rated. Once you fudge up a few fights for guys, you stop having people drop by your gym. It’s interesting that tompkins is canadian and guys like st pierre, rory macdonald, sean peirson and a few others are also canadian but none of those guys work with Tompkins; I suggest that the fact they don’t is very telling. Never, ever heard Georges endorese shawn tompkins but he has always been loyal to tri-star gym; my guess is that st pierre and others “know the score” and don’t consider him that good.
Just my 2 cents.
i think he sucks! Hominik will get his ass beat because of tompkins!! Hominik needs to go to a different trainer to beat aldo
SHAWN TOMPKINS IS 0-4 IN HIS MMA CAREER!!!! All his loses came in the first round! Why would anybody ask this guy to be their trainer? He straight up sucks! What is he complaining about? Anderson silva has multiple trainers, but his trainers aren’t complaining. Why not train with greg jackson, firas zahabi, black house gym or anybody else. i think it’s a better idea to have multiple trainers/gyms!
SHAWN TOMPKINS is a fraud-