Famed mixed martial arts trainer Shawn Tompkins passed away Sunday morning, August 14, at the age of 37 while on a trip to his native Canada.
News of his death was reported by Mike Straka via Twitter (@MikeStraka) earlier Sunday evening, and was later confirmed by veteran lightweight John Gunderson who spoke to MMAjunkie.com about Tompkins passing.
Tompkins often made trips home to Canada where he helped to found the Adrenaline Training Centre along with fighters Sam Stout, Mark Hominick and Chris Horodecki.
Stout is also the brother-in-law to Tompkins, as the trainer was married to his sister Emilie, who was back at their home in Las Vegas at the time of his death.
The Ontario native first tried his hands at fighting as a professional mixed martial artist but went 0-4 before deciding his calling was to train fighters for the sport.
He was a coach for the Los Angeles Anacondas as part of the now-defunct International Fight League, then eventually moved on to train at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. Then in 2009 he left Xtreme Couture to help open the Tapout gym in Las Vegas where he continued to work until his passing.
His death is certainly a sad moment for all mixed martial arts fans and we at The MMA News send our condolences to his family, friends, and fans.