| Thomas Carroll DeBlass | |
| Other Names: | T-Bone |
| Birth Date: | 14 May 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Bayville, New Jersey, USA |
| Residence: | Forked River, New Jersey |
| Nationality: | American |
| Weight: | 205lb |
| Weight Class: | Middleweight (2012–2013) Light Heavyweight (2010–2012) |
| Reach: | 73inches |
| Style: | Brazilian jiu-jitsu |
| Fighting Out Of: | Forked River, New Jersey |
| Team: | Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Rank: | 3rd degree Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Almeida[1] |
| Years Active: | 2010–2013 (MMA) |
| Mma Kowin: | 4 |
| Mma Subwin: | 3 |
| Mma Decwin: | 2 |
| Mma Decloss: | 2 |
| Sherdog: | 29744 |
Tom DeBlass (born May 14, 1982) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, submission grappler and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. He has competed in the middleweight division for Bellator and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
DeBlass was a county champion long jumper at Central Regional High School, from which he graduated in 2000. He went on to graduate Monmouth University in 2004 with a degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. DeBlass was known primarily as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor winning such titles as Pan American and World Championships. He then fought professionally in Ring Of Combat. In only a year and a half, DeBlass captured two titles and got called up to fight in the UFC. In 2006 DeBlass opened his own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy "Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu".[2] He has been an instructor to notable BJJ practitioners such as Garry Tonon. He is one of the only people in history to win the North American trials 3 times. In November 2017, Tom was elected as a Lacey Township board of education member.[3]
After winning seven straight fights DeBlass was signed by the UFC and made his debut against Cyrille Diabate on one week's notice at [4] and lost by Majority Decision.
In his second UFC fight DeBlass dropped down to the Middleweight division to fight against Riki Fukuda at [5] He lost by Unanimous Decision.
DeBlass announced his retirement from MMA after the bout with Fukuda stating, "After a lot of talk with my family and coaches, I have decided to retire from fighting and focus on my family, my academy and helping my students to achieve their goals. At this time, I feel it's best for me to give my time to others and spend more time with my family. The drive to keep fighting is not there any longer. I have an amazing academy and feel my students need my full attention."[6]
DeBlass returned from his short-lived retirement and made his Bellator debut against Carlos Brooks at Bellator 95 and won by TKO at the end of the second round after the doctor decided that Brooks could not continue.
DeBlass was scheduled to face former IFL Light Heavyweight Champion Vladimir Matyushenko at Bellator 108 on November 15, 2013.[7] However Matyushenko was forced out of the bout due to a broken hand. DeBlass instead fought fellow UFC veteran Jason Lambert at the event.[8] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Tom DeBlass was scheduled to fight Muhammed Lawal on September 5, 2014, at Bellator 123; however, Tom DeBlass suffered a knee injury and was forced off the card.[9] The bout with Lawal was rescheduled for Bellator 131 on November 15, 2014.[10] However, on November 1, it was announced that DeBlass had suffered a cut during training and had to withdraw from the bout.[11]
On May 17, 2020, DeBlass came out of retirement and signed with ONE Championship.[12]
Tom DeBlass runs his own BJJ and MMA gym and has coached numerous students to a high level, including fellow MMA fighter and ADCC veteran Garry Tonon. DeBlass lives in the Forked River section of Lacey Township, New Jersey.[13]
In November 2021, DeBlass released his biography and it quickly became a best-seller in the martial arts biography category on Amazon.[14] In it, he revealed that he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and explained how he was able to overcome that in order to succeed as a BJJ and MMA competitor.[15] DeBlass has also been open about his usage of Testosterone replacement therapy, and is a strong advocate for it.[16]
DeBlass arranged to have a live discussion with Rener Gracie on April 14, 2023 which would be centred around a Brazilian jiu-jitsu injury lawsuit that Gracie gave expert witness testimony in, resulting in a $46,000,000 payout.[17]
DeBlass announced in February 2023 that he was working with other gym-owners across the United States in order to open a non-profit anti-bullying initiative, using Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[18]
|-|Win|align=center|9–2|Jason Lambert|KO (punch)|Bellator 108||align=center|1|align=center|1:45|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States| |-|Win|align=center|8–2|Carlos Brooks|TKO (doctor stoppage)|Bellator 95||align=center|2|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States| |-|Loss|align=center|7–2|Riki Fukuda|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Macau, SAR, China| |-|Loss|align=center|7–1|Cyrille Diabate|Decision (majority)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Stockholm, Sweden | |-|Win|align=center|7–0|Randy Smith|Submission (heel hook)|Ring of Combat 39||align=center|1|align=center|0:41|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States| |-|Win|align=center|6–0|David Tkeshelashvili|Decision (unanimous)|Ring of Combat 38||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States| |-|Win|align=center|5–0|Mike Stewart|TKO (punches)|Ring of Combat 37||align=center|1|align=center|3:07|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States||-|Win|align=center|4–0|Sean Salmon|Submission (achilles lock)|Ring of Combat 35||align=center|1|align=center|0:57|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States||-|Win|align=center|3–0|Mitch Whitesel|Decision (unanimous)| Ring of Combat 33||align=center|3|align=center|4:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States||-|Win|align=center|2–0|Tom Velasquez|TKO (punches)|Ring of Combat 31||align=center|2|align=center|0:50|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States| |-|Win|align=center|1–0|J.A. Dudley|Decision (unanimous)|Ring of Combat 30||align=center|2|align=center|4:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States|