Beyond his wisdom, Tom had a blessed gift: he could make you laugh, genuinely and effortlessly. His humor was as natural as his insight.

Understanding MMA isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Fighters are complex beings—wired differently—and documenting their world takes more than just storytelling. It requires understanding. And Tom understood. His intelligence allowed him to dive into each fighter’s world with ease, capturing their essence and translating it into words we could all connect with. Watching him do this so naturally was both awe-inspiring and humbling.

Everyone at the UFC knows UFC would not be the same without Tom. His daily, methodical, precise contributions helped us communicate the soul of the sport—of the brand—better than we ever could alone. He was our living encyclopedia. We reached out to him for answers, for facts, to resolve debates—and, yes, sometimes to start a few.