Tompkins died of a heart attack, funeral arrangements and memorial fund set

The mixed martial arts world is still reeling from the shocking passing of trainer Shawn Tompkins.

An autopsy revealed that the 37-year-old died from a heart attack in his sleep while staying at a friend's house in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on Sunday.

"Shawn's family had a history of heart disease," said Tompkins' manager Gary Ibarra of Athletic Management & Representation Group (AMR) told the London Free Press. "Shawn had an enlarged heart and blocked arteries. No one had any idea. It really doesn't matter how much you exercise and what kind of shape you are in. That's why everyone is in such shock."

Tompkins was married to Sam Stout's sister Emilie. Stout, a UFC fighter, worked with Tompkins for years.

"I don't know what to say," Stout said. "It's not supposed to be happen to a healthy 37-year-old person. Who would think he had to get checked out for that?"

Tompkins worked out of Adrenaline Training Centre in London, Ontario and TapouT Training Center in Las Vegas, NV with Stout, Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki and Ronnie Mann. The former head coach at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Tompkins also cornered fighters like Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Jay Hieron, Forrest Griffin, Mark Coleman and Gray Maynard.

Cage Potato reports that a memorial fund has been set up.

[...] The Shawn Tompkins Memorial Fund, which is currently accepting contributions to assist Emilie with funeral and burial costs.

"Shawn was more than a client," Ibarra stated via press release. "His passion and vision for MMA was infectious, evident by how he could motivate his fighters to become better athletes and people.On behalf of AMR Group's athletes and staff, we extend our deepest sympathies to Emilie, Sam and Shawn's entire family. His spirit will live on in our hearts."

To contribute to Tompkins' memorial fund, send an email to TeamTompkins@ShogunMMA.com. Details of the memorial service will be announced in the coming days at AMRGroup.tv.

The funeral service at West Park Church in London is Friday at 1 p.m.

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A vicious head kick does the job as Curran takes featherweight tourney at Bellator 48

Pat Curran stood with one of the most feared knockout artists in the world at 145 pounds and beat Marlon Sandro in the race to land the first fight changing shot. Once he did, Sandro couldn't recover, and Curran took home another $100,000 check and another Bellator tournament title. Curran stopped Sandro with a brilliantly timed head kick to post the victory at the 4:00 mark of the second round at Bellator 48 in Uncasville, Ct.

The 23-year-old Curran has won 7-of-8. His resume of includes wins over Ronnie Mann, Roger Huerta, Toby Imada and Sandro. His only recent loss came via decision at lightweight against Eddie Alvarez, the No. 5 ranked 155-pounder in the world. Along with the big payday, Curran earns himself a future shot at the Bellator featherweight champ Joe Warren.

When it started back in June, Sandro (19-3) was a sizable favorite to win the tournament. The Brazilian entered last night's fight ranked No. 5 at featherweight while Curran (16-4) was way down at No. 19.

It was far from an easy night for Curran. Sandro, 34, was outpacing him and landing the more effective shots on the feet. The first round was close, but Cagewriter gave a slight edge to Sandro. In the second, Curran's output dipped and a Sandro overhand right with 3;30 left ripped open a nasty gash over the American's eye. Curran simply wasn't throwing enough shots to score. When he got a little more active, it quickly changed the direction of the fight.

Curran flicked out a double jab, Sandro ducked to his left to avoid the punches and that's when the American unleashed the head kick. It was perfect. Sandro's momentum took him right into Curran's right shin. Sandro went down in a heap and his arms fell to the side. Curran jumped on top and unloaded three more punches on the defenseless Brazilian. Referee Keith Peterson launched himself through the air to push Curran away and save Sandro.

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MMA Marketplace: A non-eye-searing MMA shirt

Ben Fowlkes from MMA Fighting assisted Cagewriter in our ongoing campaign to find MMA apparel that does not involve, gargoyles, angel wings, fire, feathers, illegible text or gold foil accents. He passed on this shirt from Commit Threads, a company that works with independent designers on limited edition shirts.

This image depicts an act that goes on thousands of times every day at dojos, gyms and training centers worldwide: A fighter wrapping his hands. It's so simple, but instantly identifiable with fighting. Buy the limited-edition shirt for just $20.

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