Fighter Series: Thomas Paull
Thomas Paull is a deaf mma fighter. He was the first deaf mma fighter to compete in Cage Warriors and the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), while also being the first deaf mma fighter in the UK to become a double champion.
Born deaf, Thomas cannot hear and has never heard a thing. Because of his “disability”, he has been treated differently than others who are not deaf. In group conversations, he recalls multiple instances where he had been speaking and someone else in the group starts talking over him. Some of the group (but not all) went on to divert their full attention to the new speaker, instead of continuing to listen to Thomas who was the original speaker. He also says that when he was in school, he would almost always be picked last in every group setting.
Thomas didn’t let any of these exclusions get to him. He focused on his own path, which eventually led him to martial arts. He says, “I have always loved martial arts, they amazed me, the art of different disciplines. I got into it late because my dad had a different view of it or [was] worried about me turning into a mad dog…
This is my destiny. I love being a warrior, so it’s the [right] path”
Training in martial arts transformed Thomas’s life in a big way. He notes that he was at parties every weekend (sometimes also during the week), spending money on pointless things. Once he started training, he quickly picked up on the principles of discipline and learned how to control himself, finding purpose through fighting.
He had his first semi-pro (amateur) fight at 19 and his first professional bout at the age of 20. As we all know, life gets busy. Due to other responsibilities and life matters, Thomas had to stop training for a few years. About 6 years ago (at 23), he made his return to the gym. He has since dedicated himself full-time to the sport of mixed martial arts, making it his priority and his career
The lightweight mixed martial arts fighter has training experience across multiple disciplines of combat sports, including Muay Thai, Judo, Kickboxing, boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), and wrestling. To further develop his well-rounded skill set, he made his way to Thailand.
Thomas has trained at the relatively new (compared to other Thai gyms), but well-acclaimed, gym of Bangtao MMA in Phuket. When we asked him about it, he had nothing but great things to say about his experiences there. Thailand also helped Thomas better understand and tailor his own work-life balance – a significant lesson that he took back home with him, saying that fighters “need to have [a balance between] both in our life, chasing your dream(s) and having a life [outside of work].”
Balance between training and life outside of the gym is key, especially if you’re a professional fighter training hard. Thomas finds his own balance by training in the morning, resting for a few hours, doing PT or extending his recovery time, then training again at his evening session. When asked what keeps him training at such a high intensity, he said, “I have an opportunity to make my legend. Once I start, I will not stop.”
Despite being deaf, Thomas tunes out all distractions. He doesn’t use his disability as an excuse, he uses it as fuel to level up his abilities on his way to the top. This allows him to focus even more intently on his craft, whether it’s learning new techniques in training or fighting in the cage.
When it comes to communication, Thomas admits it’s tough. He is a BSL (British Sign Language) user, but not many other non-deaf people are. He is also a good lip reader, which helps in conversation, but when there’s a lot of difficulty understanding, he and the other person will write their thoughts down or type it out on a phone.
With that being said, Thomas is currently raising money for the BSL Community. There used to be many deaf clubs where deaf people could hang out, collect information about what's going on in current events, but many of these deaf clubs have closed due to funding issues. The BSL community is attempting to bring them back so they can meet up more frequently (especially for OAP because of transport difficulties). He is currently doing a prize drawing, where the winner will win entry to the The Bear Grylls Shark Dive Experience.
Here, the winner will get the chance to explore the Bear Grylls tropical tank, surrounded by sharks and other marine wildlife. They will also have the opportunity to experience Europe’s tallest high ropes course, along with unlimited access to the Royal Marines-inspired Assault Course.
Money from raffle tickets go to a good cause, so if you’re interested, you can support Thomas with this raffle!
Lastly, Thomas has some advice that can benefit everyone. “Every person has a legend to create, but you need to go and find it. Nothing is a gift, you only get what you give in.”
Born deaf, Thomas cannot hear and has never heard a thing. Because of his “disability”, he has been treated differently than others who are not deaf. In group conversations, he recalls multiple instances where he had been speaking and someone else in the group starts talking over him. Some of the group (but not all) went on to divert their full attention to the new speaker, instead of continuing to listen to Thomas who was the original speaker. He also says that when he was in school, he would almost always be picked last in every group setting.
Thomas didn’t let any of these exclusions get to him. He focused on his own path, which eventually led him to martial arts. He says, “I have always loved martial arts, they amazed me, the art of different disciplines. I got into it late because my dad had a different view of it or [was] worried about me turning into a mad dog…
This is my destiny. I love being a warrior, so it’s the [right] path”
Training in martial arts transformed Thomas’s life in a big way. He notes that he was at parties every weekend (sometimes also during the week), spending money on pointless things. Once he started training, he quickly picked up on the principles of discipline and learned how to control himself, finding purpose through fighting.
He had his first semi-pro (amateur) fight at 19 and his first professional bout at the age of 20. As we all know, life gets busy. Due to other responsibilities and life matters, Thomas had to stop training for a few years. About 6 years ago (at 23), he made his return to the gym. He has since dedicated himself full-time to the sport of mixed martial arts, making it his priority and his career
The lightweight mixed martial arts fighter has training experience across multiple disciplines of combat sports, including Muay Thai, Judo, Kickboxing, boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), and wrestling. To further develop his well-rounded skill set, he made his way to Thailand.
Thomas has trained at the relatively new (compared to other Thai gyms), but well-acclaimed, gym of Bangtao MMA in Phuket. When we asked him about it, he had nothing but great things to say about his experiences there. Thailand also helped Thomas better understand and tailor his own work-life balance – a significant lesson that he took back home with him, saying that fighters “need to have [a balance between] both in our life, chasing your dream(s) and having a life [outside of work].”
Balance between training and life outside of the gym is key, especially if you’re a professional fighter training hard. Thomas finds his own balance by training in the morning, resting for a few hours, doing PT or extending his recovery time, then training again at his evening session. When asked what keeps him training at such a high intensity, he said, “I have an opportunity to make my legend. Once I start, I will not stop.”
Despite being deaf, Thomas tunes out all distractions. He doesn’t use his disability as an excuse, he uses it as fuel to level up his abilities on his way to the top. This allows him to focus even more intently on his craft, whether it’s learning new techniques in training or fighting in the cage.
When it comes to communication, Thomas admits it’s tough. He is a BSL (British Sign Language) user, but not many other non-deaf people are. He is also a good lip reader, which helps in conversation, but when there’s a lot of difficulty understanding, he and the other person will write their thoughts down or type it out on a phone.
With that being said, Thomas is currently raising money for the BSL Community. There used to be many deaf clubs where deaf people could hang out, collect information about what's going on in current events, but many of these deaf clubs have closed due to funding issues. The BSL community is attempting to bring them back so they can meet up more frequently (especially for OAP because of transport difficulties). He is currently doing a prize drawing, where the winner will win entry to the The Bear Grylls Shark Dive Experience.
Here, the winner will get the chance to explore the Bear Grylls tropical tank, surrounded by sharks and other marine wildlife. They will also have the opportunity to experience Europe’s tallest high ropes course, along with unlimited access to the Royal Marines-inspired Assault Course.
Money from raffle tickets go to a good cause, so if you’re interested, you can support Thomas with this raffle!
Lastly, Thomas has some advice that can benefit everyone. “Every person has a legend to create, but you need to go and find it. Nothing is a gift, you only get what you give in.”
