Tom "Big Cat" Erikson was a beast

[gosuasus]

He was part of the legendary Great American Wrestler Generation alongside icons like Severn, Coleman, Kerr, Randleman, Couture. Specimen wrestler with heavy hands, slick submissions, and freakishly athletic. Simply put, a monster HW who beat people up and left them helpless. Shame he didn't fight more often, he had all the tools to go way further in the history books.

Enjoy this throwback highlight. It's an absolute thrill.



War Tom "Big Cat" Erikson!!

 

[don't ask]

I loved him, but nobody else did loll. As I understand it, part of the reason he didn't go further is because nobody wanted to fight him. He was like a better version of Brock Lesnar.

Here's one of my favorite fights of his:

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

I loved him, but nobody else did loll. As I understand it, part of the reason he didn't go further is because nobody wanted to fight him. He was like a better version of Brock Lesnar.

Here's one of my favorite fights of his:

Busta like Erickson is unfortunately going to be forgotten as the sport ages.

 

[don't ask]

Busta like Erickson is unfortunately going to be forgotten as the sport ages.

Yeah, I was a big fan of both of them. So many good fighters getting forgotten.

 

[FreddieRoachsVoice]

Those early Dailymotion style highlight reels hit different. The MMA "Dream On" tribute and the "Ken Wayne Shamrock" tribute are also amazing.

War Big Cat! Definitely someone who was fighting for the fun of it... not to make money or build a "brand"

 

[don't ask]

He was part of the legendary Great American Wrestler Generation alongside icons like Severn, Coleman, Kerr, Randleman, Couture. Specimen wrestler with heavy hands, slick submissions, and freakishly athletic. Simply put, a monster HW who beat people up and left them helpless. Shame he didn't fight more often, he had all the tools to go way further in the history books.

Enjoy this throwback highlight. It's an absolute thrill.



War Tom "Big Cat" Erikson!!

god damn, I forgot how brutal his beatdown of that Russian dude was. Thanks for posting this.

EDIT: and I had no idea he did kickboxing after wow

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

Yeah, I was a big fan of both of them. So many good fighters getting forgotten.

IMO both would be top fighters with modern training. Busta was way a head of his time a true mixed martial artist

 

[don't ask]

IMO both would be top fighters with modern training. Busta was way a head of his time a true mixed martial artist

I bought Bustamente's instructional a few years ago and I liked it a lot. Part of it was the material and part of it was just enjoying seeing him do stuff again.

And, you're right, with modern training they'd definitely be at the top today. Especially Erikson at HW in 2025. He'd be a wrecking ball.

 

[Nathan LaMontagne]

Those early Dailymotion style highlight reels hit different. The MMA "Dream On" tribute and the "Ken Wayne Shamrock" tribute are also amazing.

War Big Cat! Definitely someone who was fighting for the fun of it... not to make money or build a "brand"

Nothing beats the Ironlife days, even I made a few highlight video.
I actually made one for Eddie Bravo at his request like 20 years ago, (actually maybe more)

I still wonder what KickYourHeadOff is up to these days.

And is Dribbles gonna finally be President?

(Anyone that knows who I'm talking about gets a prize)

 

[Erimo]

I remember he had considered unbeatable for some hardcore at that time. Then Herring sparked him, that was definitely a huge upset and Heath’s coming out party.

 

[mkt]

Got a late start to NHB/MMA (so did Lesnar) but he was one of the best in the world in the late 90s. Rumor is Coleman and Kerr didn't want to fight him. He also destroyed the same Randleman who arguably should've won the UFC HW belt instead of Bas in 1999. I think he may have been the best HW in the late 90s if he'd fought more and got to prove himself. By the early 2000s he was getting too old and a more evolved group of HWs entered both the UFC and Pride.

 

[mkt]

I remember he had considered unbeatable for some hardcore at that time. Then Herring sparked him, that was definitely a huge upset and Heath’s coming out party.

See my comment right after yours. Tom was pretty old when he started and pretty inactive...he also wrestled some in the late 90s. But I think I'd bet on him vs. anyone from say 1996-99.

 

[mkt]

He was part of the legendary Great American Wrestler Generation alongside icons like Severn, Coleman, Kerr, Randleman, Couture. Specimen wrestler with heavy hands, slick submissions, and freakishly athletic. Simply put, a monster HW who beat people up and left them helpless. Shame he didn't fight more often, he had all the tools to go way further in the history books.

Enjoy this throwback highlight. It's an absolute thrill.



War Tom "Big Cat" Erikson!!

The generation included even more: Olympians Hendo (who wrestled more early in his career), Kevin Jackson briefly and Mark Shultz even more briefly. There was probably more fear of American wrestlers taking over the sport than there is about Merab/Khamzat types taking it over now.

 

[mkt]

 

[ExitLUPin]

There were quite a few HWs like this in the golden age of the division. Erikson was a dangerous, athletic, skilled fighter that wasn't even a top 30 HW back then in PRIDE. He would easily be ranked in the UFC right now probably top 10 even when you have low level fighters like Valter, Parkin, Tallison, Tai ranked. He only lost to Herring, Werdum and Bigfoot. Beat the likes of Goodridge and Randleman.

 

[gosuasus]

The generation included even more: Olympians Hendo (who wrestled more early in his career), Kevin Jackson briefly and Mark Shultz even more briefly. There was probably more fear of American wrestlers taking over the sport than there is about Merab/Khamzat types taking it over now.

Hell yeah brother. I'm adding Ron Waterman and Royce Alger to the extended list.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

Hell yeah brother. I'm adding Ron Waterman and Royce Alger to the extended list.

I remember Alger being hyped as the most ferocious wrestler to step foot on Dan Gables matt's, then he got tapped by Enson and sparked by Eugene Jackson and was never heard of again

 

[mkt]

Hell yeah brother. I'm adding Ron Waterman and Royce Alger to the extended list.

You also have D1 Mikey Burnette and Townsend Saunders (another Olympian who only fought a couple of times) as very early WWs.

 

[mkt]

There were quite a few HWs like this in the golden age of the division. Erikson was a dangerous, athletic, skilled fighter that wasn't even a top 30 HW back then in PRIDE. He would easily be ranked in the UFC right now probably top 10 even when you have low level fighters like Valter, Parkin, Tallison, Tai ranked. He only lost to Herring, Werdum and Bigfoot. Beat the likes of Goodridge and Randleman.

Like I keep saying, Erickson started late and had a lot of gaps. He was 42-43 when he fought Werdum and Bigfoot, coming off a 3-year layoff. He also had a 2-year layoff in the 90s. "Top 30" and "ranked in the UFC now" make no sense unless we distinguish between 1996-7 Erickson and the old man in his last days in Pride.

 

[don't ask]

Hell yeah brother. I'm adding Ron Waterman and Royce Alger to the extended list.

Brad Kohler and maybe Phil Baroni. Dave Beneteau? Phil Benedict?