Wikipedia

Tommy Sauer

Thomas Sauer (November 11, 1970 — March 24, 2020) was an American[1] mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2012, he competed for RINGS and the World Fighting Alliance.

Tommy Sauer
BornThomas Sauer
(1970-11-11)November 11, 1970
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
DiedMarch 24, 2020(2020-03-24) (aged 49)
Ocala, Florida, United States
Other namesTrauma
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight255 lb (116 kg; 18.2 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofOcala, Florida, United States
Years active1998–2012
Mixed martial arts record
Total37
Wins25
By knockout11
By submission13
Unknown1
Losses12
By knockout10
By submission2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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A native of Cleveland, Sauer moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1981 at the age of 11. From a young age, he began wrestling and karate.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Having made his debut in 1998, Sauer quickly moved to 3–0 with a win over Jeff Monson before being handed his first professional defeat at the hands of Travis Fulton.

After five more wins followed by consecutive defeats to Bobby Hoffman and John Dixson, respectively, Sauer began competing for the RINGS promotion.

RINGS

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Sauer made his RINGS debut on May 20, 2000, winning via first-round submission. After another win followed by a knockout of Valentijn Overeem, Sauer was defeated via doctor stoppage from a cut against Vladimir Matyushenko.

Sauer would go 6–5 in his next 11 fights before facing off against Enson Inoue at SuperBrawl 35 on April 16, 2004. Sauer won via first-round TKO in arguably the biggest win of his career.

Independent promotions

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Sauer went 7–3 in the last ten fights of his career, last defeating Ruben Villareal via first-round submission in 2012.

Personal life

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Sauer founded his own gym, "Team Trauma" in 1998 in Ocala, Florida.

Sauer was a firefighter and EMT from 1996 until his retirement in 2019.

Sauer also had his own aluminum construction company in Ocala, FL.

Following his death in 2020, Sauer was inducted into the Florida MMA Hall of Fame.[3]

In his community, he was famous for his big heart as well as strong hands. He constantly and without hesitation helped friends and strangers alike, be it an uplifting conversation, meal, or surprise Christmas gifts. Sauer was happily married to the love of his life, Sherrie Sauer for 10 years with whom he just built his dream home at the unexpected time of his death. Sauer had 4 children and 2 stepchildren who were the pride and joy of his life.

He lived his life with Tourette Syndrome, and made light of the situation often. He would often make an off the wall or humorous statement then say that no one could be upset with him for it because no one would want to pick on the man with Tourette's. Living with the disorder was a struggle for him as a child, but ultimately led him to his professional fighting career. He found peace in the control fighting offered him.

Professional record breakdown
37 matches 25 wins 12 losses
By knockout 11 10
By submission 13 2
Unknown 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 25–12 Ruben Villareal Submission R.F.C. 26: Legends Return April 28, 2012 1 0:40 Ocala, Florida, United States
Win 24–12 Jimmy Ambriz TKO (punches) AOF 13: Amaya vs. Lawrence September 10, 2011 1 4:03 Estero, Florida, United States
Win 23–12 Liron Wilson TKO (punches) AOF 7: Payday April 3, 2010 2 0:54 Tampa, Florida, United States
Loss 22–12 Marcio Cruz TKO (punches) AOF 4: Damage August 22, 2009 2 3:43 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 22–11 Mike Hueser Submission (rear-naked choke) Southern Fight League: Smoky Mountain Brawl May 9, 2009 1 2:52 Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Win 21–11 Rocky Batastini Submission (guillotine choke) AOF 2: Rumble at Robarts 2 April 25, 2009 1 0:17 Sarasota, Florida, United States
Win 20–11 Matt Thomas Submission (armbar) WEF: WEF 8 August 10, 2007 2 2:12 Kissimmee, Florida, United States
Win 19–11 Leo Sylvest TKO (submission to punches) CFC 2: Combat Fighting Championship 2 September 23, 2006 1 0:13 Orlando, Florida, United States
Loss 18–11 Branden Lee Hinkle TKO (punches) WEF: Sin City May 20, 2005 1 2:19 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 18–10 Andy Montana KO (punch) IFC 20: Eve Of Destruction March 5, 2005 1 1:29 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win 18–9 Enson Inoue TKO (punches) SB 35: SuperBrawl 35 April 16, 2004 1 4:14 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Return to Heavyweight.
Loss 17–9 Bill Mahood TKO (punches and elbows) IFC 17: Battleground Boise October 25, 2003 2 3:10 Boise, Idaho, United States
Win 17–8 Allan Sullivan Submission (arm triangle choke) IFC 16: Global Domination September 6, 2003 2 0:39 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win 16–8 Sean Gray Submission (guillotine choke) IFC 16: Global Domination September 6, 2003 1 0:46 Denver, Colorado, United States Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 15–8 Crafton Wallace Submission (rear-naked choke) WEFC 3: Shake May 10, 2003 1 1:12 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Loss 14–8 Rodney Glunder TKO (doctor stoppage) RINGS Holland: One Moment In Time December 1, 2002 2 3:52 Utrecht, Netherlands
Loss 14–7 Marvin Eastman TKO (elbows) WFA 2: Level 2 July 5, 2002 2 1:35 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–6 Bill Vucick Submission (keylock) WEF 12: World Extreme Fighting 12 May 11, 2002 2 2:30 Steubenville, Ohio, United States
Win 13–6 Rob Morris TKO (submission to punches) RSF 6: Mayhem in Myers December 29, 2001 1 0:35 Fort Myers, Florida, United States
Loss 12–6 Hiromitsu Kanehara TKO (punches) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 2000 1 4:14 Osaka, Japan
Win 12–5 Andrei Kopylov KO (punch) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 2000 1 0:10 Osaka, Japan
Loss 11–5 Aaron Brink TKO (punches) RINGS USA: Rising Stars Final September 30, 2000 2 4:29 Moline, Illinois, United States
Loss 11–4 Vladimir Matyushenko TKO (cut) WEF: New Blood Conflict August 26, 2000 2 2:17
Win 11–3 Valentijn Overeem KO (punches) RINGS USA: Rising Stars Block B July 22, 2000 1 0:35 Honolulu, Hawaii
Win 10–3 Mike Dresch KO (punches) RINGS USA: Rising Stars Block B July 22, 2000 1 0:13 Honolulu, Hawaii
Win 9–3 Alexander Bezroutchkin Submission (rear-naked choke) RINGS Russia: Russia vs. The World May 20, 2000 1 3:30 Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
Loss 8–3 John Dixson Submission (heel hook) WEF 7: Stomp in the Swamp October 9, 1999 1 2:00 Kenner, Louisiana, United States
Loss 8–2 Bobby Hoffman Submission (guillotine choke) EC 27: Extreme Challenge 27 August 21, 1999 1 4:46 Davenport, Iowa, United States
Win 8–1 David Dodd TKO (punches) EC 27: Extreme Challenge 27 August 21, 1999 1 2:20 Davenport, Iowa, United States
Win 7–1 Wade Rome Submission (triangle choke) WEF 5: World Extreme Fighting 5 June 12, 1999 0 0:00 DeLand, Florida, United States
Win 6–1 John Horning Submission (side choke) XCC: Xtreme Combat Championships 2 June 8, 1999 0 0:00 Florida, United States
Win 5–1 Victor Vincelette TKO (injury) WEF 2: World Extreme Fighting 2 February 21, 1999 1 0:10
Win 4–1 Efrain Ruiz TKO (submission to punches) WEF 1: World Extreme Fighting 1 December 19, 1998 1 N/A
Loss 3–1 Travis Fulton TKO (submission to punches) EC 21: Extreme Challenge 21 October 17, 1998 1 1:57 Hayward, Wisconsin, United States
Win 3–0 Jeff Monson Submission (rear-naked choke) EC 20: Extreme Challenge 20 August 22, 1998 1 3:47 Davenport, Iowa, United States
Win 2–0 David Giannotti Submission (choke) WVF: Orlando 2 July 25, 1998 1 1:13 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 1–0 Joe Campanella N/A EC 19: Extreme Challenge 19 June 20, 1998 1 0:34 Hayward, Wisconsin, United States

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tommy Sauer". Sherdog. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "Tommy Sauer | FL MMA Hall of Fame". flmmahof.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09.
  3. ^ "Tommy Sauer | FL MMA Hall of Fame". flmmahof.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09.
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