RIP Thomas Gerbasi: A legendary writer, and the mentor I didn't realise I needed

Chatting with Tom Gerbasi at UFC 196 media day, Las Vegas, 2016 (pic from E. Spencer Kyte via Instagram)

The combat sports media is mourning the loss of one of the great writers of this generation, and a man who was a mentor to so many who followed him into the business, including me.

It took me a while to even begin to write this blog, because I just didn't know how to start. The news of Thomas Gerbasi's passing has hit me like a truck and, a day after receiving the news, I’m still trying to process it. Not only has the world of combat sport lost a legendary storyteller, countless people within the business – myself included – have lost a mentor, a confidant, and a friend.

The first time I met Tom was in Las Vegas back in the summer of 2015, ahead of UFC 189. It was my first trip to the States to cover the UFC, and while I knew a lot of the US-based press corps by name, I hadn’t met too many in person. When I met Tom, we hit it off immediately and, as a writer who had covered the sport for several years, but had never made it Stateside until then, it meant the world to me for him to tell me that he respected my work. He even referenced a specific piece he’d recently read and enjoyed.

Tom was the long-serving editorial director of the UFC. Another apt description might be “chief storyteller”, because in a sport where promotion is everything, Tom ensured that every fighter had the chance to have their story told.

His work gave the same gravitas and importance to the first name on the prelims as he did to the world champion at the top of the card, and his dedication to real storytelling helped elevate the written output of UFC.com, Ring Magazine, and several other outlets he contributed to, across MMA and boxing, over the years.

We eventually ended up working together when I joined the UFC's editorial team as a freelancer, where my submissions to Tom would often kick-start random back-and-forth email conversations on a range of subjects from MMA to darts to football to 1980s music. In what ended up being our final email conversation, we debated the chances of his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and he told me he had his “Terrible Towel” ready to celebrate their success.

Those conversations only happened when he knew it was still at a reasonably sensible time at my end. Acutely aware of my tendency to burn a little too much midnight oil working on my features, he’d often acknowledge receipt of my work with a cheery, but still stern, “Gracias! Now go to bed, Si!”

Tom had a genuine passion for the written word, and despite much of his work residing online these days, he loved nothing better than to have his words in print, in physical, tangible form. When he wrote for me at UFC Magazine earlier this year, he was genuinely excited that, in today’s digital-first world, there was still room for some good old-fashioned print journalism in the sport.

In a world where opinions, egos and politics too often cause division, it takes a special individual to be universally loved and respected. Tom is one of those special individuals, and his passing leaves an almighty chasm in the world of combat sports writing that may never be filled. You only need to search for his surname on X to see the sheer number of tributes and tales from members of the combat sports world. Tom was a man who always had time for people, including a fellow writer from across the pond who had hit a career crossroads.

A few years ago, when I was at a particularly low point and close to walking away from the industry, Tom was on hand to offer some much-needed advice and encouragement. I’ll be forever grateful for that conversation.

I was hoping to one day repay him for that help and advice by catching up with him at a UFC show, maybe in his hometown of New York. Sadly, that chance to put the world to rights over a beer and a burger has now passed me by. The best I can do now is continue to follow the advice he gave me, and to raise a toast to him with some of my friends in the sport when I do eventually get back across the pond.

For me, there can be no more fitting gesture than for Tom to be inducted into the Contributor Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame next year. The only shame will be that it didn’t happen while he was still with us, because he deserved to see how much he is loved and respected by the industry his written words helped to build.

My sincerest condolences go out to Tom’s family and friends.

Rest in peace, Tom. And thank you.