I watched my first live MMA fight in August 2006. Now defunct Bodog Fight organized the event in San Jose, Costa Rica. I went in thinking the MMA wasn’t for me.
Then Nick “The Goat” Thompson took the ring about midway through the card. He battled Davion Peterson for 3 rounds, finally winning by a rear-naked choke submission. Before that moment, I lacked an appreciation for the training, endurance and power required to be a winning fighter. Almost instantly, I became an MMA fan.
Thompson was already a MMA stud. His winning ways were a matter of record. He arrived at Bodog Fight night in August 2006 on a vicious tear, having lost once to Karo Parisyan in the previous year at UFC 59. He went on to become Bodog Fight’s welterweight champion on April 14, 2007. Later in his career, he signed with Strikeforce. Thompson fought through 2011, amassing an impressive 38-14 professional record, 10 KO/TKO, 22 submissions and 6 decisions.
This is page pays tribute and respect to Thompson. Here’s some info, stats and videos his fans should find useful. Review our MMA Betting tutorial to learn how to bet on MMA fights.
Table of Contents
- Bio
- Organizations/Leagues
- Nickname
- Retirement
- Highlight Videos
- Photos
- Career Record/Results
- Personal
Nick Thompson Bio
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 170 lbs.
Nicholas Delton Thompson was born June 23, 1981 in Virginia. He was raised in Minnesota, citing his hometown as Minneapolis. As a youth he enjoyed wrestling, rising to the top of Minnesota’s high school rankings by his senior year. He continued wrestling for 2 years at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Chance led Thompson to the MMA. One night in college he watched a friend compete locally. He thought his wrestling abilities would serve him well in the sport. Thompson began training under Dave Strasser and Ron Faircloth.
2 weeks later he had his first fight. He struggled, losing his first 3 fights. He quickly turned things around, tallying a 17-8 middleweight record upon graduation. This perseverance was a sign of greater things to come.
Thompson went on to complete a law degree at the University of Minnesota. While in school he trained at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. He began to fight at welterweight, recording an impressive 20-1 record. During this period he became the Bodog Welterweight Champion in 2007. He also fought in the UFC.
Thompson finished law school in 2008 and continued fighting through 2011. He retired from MMA to become a successful lawyer. He’s been admitted to the bar in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Virginia.
MMA Organizations & Leagues
Nick Thompson fought in multiple MMA organizations and leagues throughout his career. Thompson’s debut fight follows each affiliation.
- UFC – November 19, 2005 vs Keith Wisniewski as a Welterweight (Won – Decisions)
- Bodog Fight – August 22, 2006 vs Davion Peterson (Won – Submission)
- World Victory Road – March 5, 2008 vs Fabricio Monteiro (Won – Decisions)
- Elite XC – July 26, 2008 vs Jake Shields (Lost – Submission)
- Strikeforce – June 19, 2019 vs Tim Kennedy (Lost – Submission)
- Shine Fights – May 15, 2010 vs Eduardo Pamplona (Scratched – Injury)
Nick Thompson’s “The Goat” Nickname
Unforunately, The “Goat” isn’t an acronym for “Greatest of All Time”, though Thompson’s welterweight record stands among the best in history.
It comes from the fainting goat phenomenon. Teammates assigned the moniker to Thompson because of his tendency to get easily knocked out early in his career. That all changed after substantial training, determination and experience.
Nick Thompson Retirement
Nick Thompson retired after his fight with Ben Askren on April 10, 2011 at Bellator 40. Askren controlled Thompson throughout the fight, eventually winning by unanimous decision.
Thompson posted the following statement at the UnderGround forum the next day, April 11, 2011. This statement is no longer live and was copied from the UnderGround archive.
I have fought many great fighters, even beating a few along the way. In all those fights, I have never felt as frustrated as I felt tonight. Ben Askren is truly a great wrestler/grappler and I look forward to seeing him develop in the sport. I have been a fan of Ben’s since I knew him in high school and am appreciative that Bellator provided me an opportunity for my last fight to be against a fighter for whom I have such tremendous respect.
I love this sport and all that it has given to me and it is with a mix of joy and sadness that I realize that I am no longer willing to pay the price necessary to compete at the level I expect from myself – the level of guys like Ben, Weedman and Heiron. I have reached a point where it is more important to me to spend time at home with my daughter and wife, who have been great about me competing, and focus on developing my law career at O’Flaherty Heim Egan & Birnbaum LTD, which has also been great about me competing. I am grateful for the many wonderful people who supported me and those I met in mixed martial arts, fans and fighters, and am hopeful that I can give something back to the sport I love by coaching and/or representing the next crop of mixed martial arts superstars.
Thank you!
Nick Thompson Video
Thompson defeats Alvarez, becomes Bodog Fight Welterweight Champion April 14, 2007
Thompson defeats Peterson August 22, 2006
Nick Thompson Photos
Nick Thompson MMA Record
Nick Thompson MMA Record
| Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 38 | 14 | 1 |
Nick Thompson Wins Method
| Wins | Method |
|---|---|
| 38 | KOs:10 Submissions: 22 Decisions: 6 |
Nick Thompson Losses Method
| Losses | Method |
|---|---|
| 14 | KOs:7 Submissions: 6 Decisions: 1 |
Nick Thompson MMA Results
| Result | Fighter | Event | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Ben Askren | BFC - Bellator Fighting Championships 40 2011-04-09 | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Loss | Taisuke Okuno | SRC - Sengoku Raiden Championship 14 2010-08-22 | KO (Punch) | 3 | 0:27 |
| Loss | Dan Hornbuckle | Sengoku - Tenth Battle 2009-09-23 | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 1:30 |
| Loss | Tim Kennedy | Strikeforce - Challengers 2 2009-06-19 | Submission (Punches) | 2 | 2:37 |
| Win | Paul Daley | MFC 20 - Destined For Greatness 2009-02-20 | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | Travis McCullough | MT 18 - Madtown Throwdown 18 2009-01-17 | Submission (Punches) | 1 | 2:38 |
| Loss | Jake Shields | EliteXC - Unfinished Business 2008-07-26 | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 1:03 |
| Win | Michael Costa | Sengoku - Third Battle 2008-06-08 | Submission (Kimura) | 2 | 4:13 |
| Win | Fabricio Monteiro | Sengoku - First Battle 2008-03-05 | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | John Troyer | Tuff-N-Uff - Thompson vs. Troyer 2008-02-01 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 1 | 3:46 |
| Win | Mark Weir | Bodog Fight - Vancouver 2007-08-24 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 4:01 |
| Win | Eddie Alvarez | Bodog Fight - Clash of the Nations 2007-04-14 | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 4:32 |
| Win | Dustin Denes | Bodog Fight - Costa Rica Combat 2007-02-18 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:27 |
| Win | Ansar Chalangov | Bodog Fight - USA vs. Russia 2006-12-02 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 1 | 4:59 |
| Win | Joe Winterfeldt | TCT 3 - Twin Cities Throwdown 3 2006-10-21 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Davion Peterson | Bodog Fight - To the Brink of War 2006-08-22 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 3 | N/A |
| Win | Steven Bratland | XKK - St. Joseph 2006-07-15 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Yancy Cuellar | XKK - St. Joseph 2006-07-15 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Chris Wilson | AFC 17 - Absolute Fighting Championships 17 2006-06-24 | Submission (Kimura) | 2 | 2:08 |
| Loss | Karo Parisyan | UFC 59 - Reality Check 2006-04-15 | TKO (Submission to Punches) | 1 | 4:44 |
| Win | Alex Carter | EFX - Fury 2006-02-01 | Submission (Triangle Choke) | 2 | N/A |
| Win | Anthony White | MT 6 - Madtown Throwdown 6 2006-01-13 | Submission (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Keith Wisniewski | UFC 56 - Full Force 2005-11-19 | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | Josh Neer | EC 64 - Extreme Challenge 64 2005-10-15 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 2 | 2:19 |
| Win | Dereck Keasley | FFC 16 - Freestyle Fighting Championship 16 2005-09-24 | Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) | 1 | 3:48 |
| Win | Victor Moreno | FFC 16 - Freestyle Fighting Championship 16 2005-09-24 | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 2 | 0:52 |
| Win | Chris Connelly | FFC 16 - Freestyle Fighting Championship 16 2005-09-24 | Decision (Unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 |
| Win | Brian Fitzsimmons | MT 4 - Madtown Throwdown 4 2005-07-09 | KO (Punches) | 1 | M/A |
| Loss | Ed Herman | H2H - Hand 2 Hand Combat 2005-06-17 | TKO (Injury) | 1 | N/A |
| Loss | Yushin Okami | GCM - D.O.G. 2 2005-06-11 | Submission (Elbow Injury) | 1 | 0:29 |
| Win | Marcel Ferreira | AFC 12 - Absolute Fighting Championships 12 2005-04-30 | TKO (Punches) | 3 | 2:48 |
| Win | Joey Clark | XKK - St. Paul 2005-04-23 | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 3:01 |
| Win | Nuri Shakir | CZ 10 - Ground War 2005-04-02 | Submission (Triangle Choke) | 2 | 3:07 |
| Loss | Paul Purcell | FCC 18 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 18 2005-03-05 | KO (Punches) | 2 | N/A |
| Win | Brian Green | MT 2 - Madtown Throwdown 2 2005-02-19 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Brian Gassaway | Combat - Do Fighting Challenge 2 2005-02-05 | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| Win | Jesse Chilton | FCC 17 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 17 2005-01-08 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 3 | N/A |
| Win | Darren Hines | XFO 4 - International 2004-12-03 | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 0:19 |
| Draw | Daryl Guthmiller | XKK - Fridley 2004-11-05 | Draw | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | John Renken | FFC 12 - Freestyle Fighting Championships 12 2004-09-24 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Sean Huffman | FFC 12 - Freestyle Fighting Championships 12 2004-09-24 | Submission (Choke) | 2 | N/A |
| Loss | Brian Ebersole | FFC 12 - Freestyle Fighting Championships 12 2004-09-24 | TKO (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Ricky Solis | MT 1 - Madtown Throwdown 1 2004-08-21 | Submission (Twister) | 1 | N/A |
| Win | Thiago Jambo Goncalves | FCC 15 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 15 2004-06-12 | Submission (Punches) | 2 | 2:39 |
| Win | Brian Moore | UB - Ultimate Battleground 2004-06-04 | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 0:28 |
| Win | Jeff Doyle | XKK - Mayhem in Marshfield 2004-05-15 | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 2 | N/A |
| Loss | Mike Quinlan | AFC 8 - Absolute Fighting Championships 8 2004-05-01 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 2 | 0:16 |
| Win | Emyr Bussade | FCC 14 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 14 2004-03-06 | Decision (Unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 |
| Win | Kyle Helsper | FCC 13 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 13 2004-01-10 | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | 2 | 2:16 |
| Loss | Dan Hart | FCC 12 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 12 2003-10-18 | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 0:17 |
| Loss | Dustin Denes | AFC 5 - Absolute Fighting Championships 5 2003-09-05 | Submission (Triangle Choke) | 1 | 1:45 |
| Win | Kyle Helsper | FCC 11 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 11 2003-06-28 | Submission (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
| Loss | Dan Hart | FCC 10 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 10 2003-03-22 | KO (Punches) | 1 | N/A |
Personal
Nick Thompson married his college girlfriend, Molly. Nick was dating Molly the night he saw his friend fight while at U Wisconsin, leading him to start his MMA training. As of 2009, they have one daughter.
He’s currently working as a lawyer at the Casey Jones Firm in Wisconsin.
Edits and Corrections: Please contact me immediately, I’m happy to update this page with proper source citations.
MMA Betting Resources
- MMA Betting Guide – Learn how to bet on the MMA with moneylines, round totals, and type of victory bets, among exotic bets like MMA parlays and prop bets.
- MMA Betting Sites – Dig into our list of the best licensed and legal US MMA betting sites before the action in the octagon begins.
- MMA Betting Odds – Latest MMA betting odds for upcoming matchups, including UFC Fight Nights, Numbered Events, and other major events around the world.
- MMA Betting Strategies – Dive into MMA betting with our helpful guide that explains how to handicap MMA fights. Learn how to find an edge and beat the sportsbooks when your favorite fighter enters The Cctagon.
- Nick “The Goat” Thompson – Our fan page dedicated to Nick Thompson, one of the greatest fighters of the mid to late 2000s.
References
sherdog.com/organizations/BodogFIGHT-883
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce_(mixed_martial_arts)
ufc.com/event/ufc-59
thefullwiki.org/Nick_Thompson
web.archive.org/web/20101117021653/http://www.nickthompson.tv:80/bio
sbnation.com/mma/2011/4/11/2104907/nick-thompson-retires-from-mma-looking-back-on-my-first-interview
web.archive.org/web/20110412183229/http://www.mixedmartialarts.com:80/news/316917/Nick-Thompson-announces-retirement-on-the-UG/
sherdog.com/fighter/Nick-Thompson-7124