Newark's Thomas fights in MMA at Arnold Sports Festival
NEWARK – Matthew Thomas is soft-spoken and laid-back. He greets you with a ready smile.
It's a calm exterior, a good mask for the intensity that dwells within. He's the "Quiet Storm."
The 2009 Newark High School graduate, who played basketball and football and ran track for the Wildcats, has channeled his inner self into an accomplished boxer and mixed martial arts fighter. A 22-3 amateur boxing record, with two titles at 165 pounds, and 4-2 MMA mark would attest to that.
The MMA skills will be on display Friday night at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion when Thomas takes on veteran MMA fighter Junior Meza in a 170-pound match at the Arnold Sports Festival. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the fights begin at 7:30. Thomas will fight in the middle of the card.
"My whole family will be there," said Thomas, brother of Newark junior guard Evan Thomas and son of the Rev. Mark Thomas, a former professional boxer. "I have a lot of family in Columbus, too. There will probably be 20 or more people."
The 24-year-old Thomas is relatively late to the MMA game after focusing primarily on boxing. But he's been a quick learner. He trains at Strike Fitness in Columbus and spars regularly with Joseph Stephens, of Granville, who works with him on his kickboxing.
"I wanted to do something a little different," he said. "I've picked it up pretty well."
Meza is a jiujitsu specialist, but Thomas likes his chances.
"As long as I keep him standing up," he said. "I'm a little nervous. I have some butterflies."
After this fight, Thomas will return his attention to boxing. He wants to turn professional, and has a chance to make the U.S. Olympic boxing team.
"I already have enough wins to get my pro card. I've just been putting it off," he said.
In his last bout, three months ago on the undercard at the Trump Taj Mahal in New Jersey, Thomas knocked out Joseph Sterling, from Kentucky, in the fourth round. With that win and his impressive record, he has caught the attention of U.S. Olympic boxing officials.
"They were there," Thomas said. "They want to see how I do against one of their fighters."
He first stepped into the ring at age 8, taking after his dad, who won three Golden Gloves titles in West Virginia.
"He wants to follow in my footsteps," Mark Thomas said. "The practice is big with him, the repetition. He's smart, and he hits very hard. He has the height and everything it takes to turn pro."
Outside of fighting, Thomas is a criminal justice major at the Newark campus of Ohio State University.
"I would like to be on a SWAT team," he said.
But with boxing as a focus, Thomas works out at ICU (I Challenge You) Training, formerly Body Core Fitness, in Newark. Owner Christopher Banks sees some similarities.
"His dad had really quick hands," Banks said. "He's got a built-in gift. Matt has a lot of self-motivation, a lot of self-discipline. I have seen the maturity in him as well."
Thomas has fought across Ohio and in West Virginia. He trains with the Title Boxing Club at the Lula Pearl Center in Columbus. His sponsors include Title Boxing Club, Octagon Fight Team of Columbus, UR Fight and Muscle Feast.
His coach is former heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas.
"He stresses the counter-punch, much like he used to knock out Mike Tyson," Thomas said.
The knockout he scored three months ago was his first.
"I let them hit me first, and it sets me off a little bit," Thomas said. "I use a lot of jabs, my speed and quickness. If I'm facing a bigger guy, I try to get him out of breath."
He becomes a different person when in fight mode. The Quiet Storm.
"When I get into that cage, or hear that bell ring, it gets kind of crazy," Thomas said.
dweidig@newarkadvocate.com
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