Tommy Sauer

Thomas Sauer (November 11, 1970 — March 24, 2020) was an American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2012, he competed for RINGS and the World Fighting Alliance.

A native of Cleveland, Sauer moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1981 at the age of 11. From a young age, he began wrestling and karate.

Having made his debut in 1998, Sauer quickly moved to 3–0 with a win over Jeff Monson before being handed his first professional defeat at the hands of Travis Fulton.

After five more wins followed by consecutive defeats to Bobby Hoffman and John Dixson, respectively, Sauer began competing for the RINGS promotion.

Sauer made his RINGS debut on May 20, 2000, winning via first-round submission. After another win followed by a knockout of Valentijn Overeem, Sauer was defeated via doctor stoppage from a cut against Vladimir Matyushenko.

Sauer would go 6–5 in his next 11 fights before facing off against Enson Inoue at SuperBrawl 35 on April 16, 2004. Sauer won via first-round TKO in arguably the biggest win of his career.

Sauer went 7–3 in the last ten fights of his career, last defeating Ruben Villareal via first-round submission in 2012.

Sauer founded his own gym, "Team Trauma" in 1998 in Ocala, Florida.

Sauer was a firefighter and EMT from 1996 until his retirement in 2019.

Sauer also had his own aluminum construction company in Ocala, FL.

Following his death in 2020, Sauer was inducted into the Florida MMA Hall of Fame.

In his community, he was famous for his heart and strength. He was said to constantly and without hesitation help friends and strangers alike, be it a conversation, meal, or surprise Christmas gifts. Sauer was married to Sherrie Sauer for 10 years with whom he built his home at the unexpected time of his death. Sauer had 4 children and 2 stepchildren.

He lived his life with Tourette Syndrome, and made light of the situation often. He would often make an off the wall or humorous statement then say that no one could be upset with him for it because no one would want to pick on the man with Tourette's. Living with the disorder was a struggle for him as a child, but ultimately led him to his professional fighting career. He found peace in the control fighting offered him.